


The Blu-Ray Chronicles: Rebuild

by BG_Character_592



Series: Chronicles [2]
Category: Neon Genesis Evangelion, Rebuild of Evangelion | Evangelion: New Theatrical Edition
Genre: Gen, Giant Robots, MST3k-Style Riffing, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-09-13 10:34:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 62,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16890933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BG_Character_592/pseuds/BG_Character_592
Summary: After being put through the ringer by Neon Genesis Evangelion, what does the cast do when they discover yet another show starring themselves?Why, watch that as well!





	1. Rebuild 0.00

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Advice and Trust](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/438423) by Strypgia. 
  * Inspired by [Advice and Trust](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/438429) by Panther2G. 



> This is the second instalment of Chronicles, a continuation of Strypgia's Advice and Trust, published here with his consent, originally posted on Sufficient Velocity. It is recommended one reads Advice and Trust first, as many of the characterisations and events differ from what is considered canon to Evangelion.
> 
> While this story is a continuation of Advice and Trust, it's not set in its exact universe. This story diverges from Advice and Trust starting from Chapter 11.12 (on Sufficient Velocity).
> 
> This is a direct sequel to The Laserdisc Chronicles. 
> 
> As Laserdisc, this story is rated Mature for sexual references, occasional violence and confronting scenes.

* * *

A safelight illuminated the darkroom, its denizen busy at work.  
  
NERV had a few of these rooms scattered around the place, due to the occasional and persistent need to develop their own film, or to develop photographs, without the prying eyes of Fuji or Kodak finding out their top secret information.  
  
Which was good for the Commander, who definitely  _wouldn't_  want them  _or_  most of NERV finding out about the photos she was tending to.  
  
It was quite soothing actually; a nice change from the constant barrage to the senses she was used to. In the still darkness and quiet of the room, she could concentrate, and think. Sometimes about her fiancée Kaji, but mostly about what she was making.  
  
Drying in the room were a dozen or so recently exposed photographs. Most of the were of a certain Yui Ikari. Normally, someone making photographs of a specific person (specifically the mother of one of your "kids") would be considered quite a bit weird, but with how Shinji reacted to seeing her image, after not having  _any_  photograph of her for years. He might want to have  _something_ of her, considering the Laserdiscs will probably be digitised and locked away after further analysis. Could serve as an early Christmas gift.  
  
There was at least one photo drying that wasn't intended for Shinji though. One for her.  
  
It was difficult to find a good photo of him with the limited footage the discs had, but she managed to find  _one,_  at the very least.  
  
She gazed longingly at the sepia toned image. Another reminder, like the cross she bears.  
  
The trill of her cell phone broke through the melancholy. "Speak. Ritsuko?"  
  
She listened on.  
  
"...I'll be there in 15."  
  
Hanging up, she left and locked up. The images could wait for now.  
  
She would have to make a quick stop first.  
~~~

 

  
"So what's the issue Rits?"  
  
"This."  
  
She started the video.  
  
Misato watched on.  
  
Ritsuko and Maya looked on in trepidation of the commander's response.  
  
Minutes passed as Misato watched on, her stone wall of a face remaining neutral throughout the opening. The mad scientists continued watching on.  
  
She opened her mouth to speak. Or more accurately, groan. "...Not this shit again."  
  
"...excuse me?" Her reaction wasn't exactly what they expected.  
  
She placed a large trash bag on the desk as they paused it. "Take a gander."  
  
The doctor and the major looked through the bag. Full of Laserdiscs.  _The_  Laserdiscs.  
  
"...oh you are fucking kidding me."  
  
She started going through each and every one of the covers, almost desperate. Animated renditions of them and other NERV staff,  _and_  depictions of the Angels,  _and_  of highly classified information that only NERV could know. "How in the Seven Hells did you find this?"  
  
Misato shrugged. "Shinji was getting groceries one day, and found them in the street. This was a few weeks ago though; Kaji and I, plus Shinji, Asuka, Rei and Kaworu, spent that time watching through them."  
  
"You  _WHAT?_ " Ritsuko was incredulous at the audacity of such a thing. "A- bu-  _why_  would you watch these with them?"  
  
"It's more about them than it is about us Ritsuko. They  _deserve_  to know. And by the looks of it, there's yet  _another_  thing they need to know."  
  
"You're gonna use your prerogative to allow them to  _watch_  this, aren't you."  
  
"Yes." She put it bluntly. "They already know what happens in these dammed Laserdiscs, which covers a fair bit of the Angel war and the start of the SEELE war. And by the looks of it, the video  _you_  guys found just seems to be remade from these. It's  _their_ lives too, you realise."  
  
"Videos." Maya corrected sheepishly.  
  
"...there's multiple." The commander deadpanned, glancing at the paused screen. "Tell you what, you guys go marathon these Laserdiscs, then once you're all caught up we can see how this other one goes."  
  
"Wait,  _now_?"  
  
"Yes,  _now,_  Ritsuko." She thought. "Never thought I'd be instructing you to marathon a TV series but here we are."  
  
"...How do the Laserdiscs go?" Maya queried.  
  
"You'll just have to find out for yourself." Misato stated in a cheeky, playful manner. "Spoilers and all that."  
  
"It sounds like it's literally our  _lives_  though." Ritsuko deadpanned.  
  
To a shrug. "Will you be able to get through these discs in a day, if I let you two off now?"  
  
"How long does it go for?"  
  
"26 twenty five minute or so episodes, plus a movie split over two discs. 12 or so hours."  
  
"...that's kinda pushing it but I guess we could."  
  
"Good. After the sync test tomorrow, I'll get the others. Then we can have movie nights!"  
  
"You seem far too excited about this Misato."  
  
"Getting to see how things got fucked up for a  _second_  time? It's less excitement and more like 'here we go again'."  
  
"...how badly do things go?"  
  
Misato fell quiet. "...Episode 21... I feel it might be... confronting, for you Ritsuko." The commander warned her. "Just giving you a heads up so you don't yell at me tomorrow for not warning you."  
  
Ritsuko looked at the insert of Genesis 0:11.  
  
Young Rei.  
  
"...i appreciate the concern, Misato."  
  
"...i'll leave you two to it. Once tomorrow's sync test is done, I'll get them in here so we can watch." Misato made her leave.  
  
Ritsuko continued staring at this young Rei. Thoughts filled her mind.  
  
"...Ritsuko?"  
  
She was snapped out of them by her Kohai's prodding. "Y-yeah?"  
  
"...something catch your mind?"  
  
She nodded, sadly. "I..." She sighed. "We can deal with it when it happens." The cover closed. "So, what say you we clock off early, get some wine and chill?"  
  
"I assume we're not  _chilling_ , since we'll probably have to take notes on whatever these are."  
  
"Since this is probably about  _us_ , yes."  
~~~

  
  
Ritsuko poured out the wine for the both of them, and started the first disc on their Laserdisc player (because of  _course_  they have a Laserdisc player). They were in their casual clothes; reasonably comfortable (and a  _little_  revealing, but they're lovers so it's all good), good for watching movies. Not that they  _do_ , considering they too get  _distracted_ , unless it's a damn good film. But that's unlikely to happen, considering  _these_  Laserdiscs are pretty damn important.

* * *

 

# Neon Genesis Evangelion

 

**Character Key:**

Ritsuko (R) Maya (M)

 

 ** _Angel Attack_**  
R: "Would've been better if we were able to actually  _train_  the pilot before thrusting him in front of the Angel."  
M: "To be fair though, it was pretty extraordinary circumstances. Not every day an Angel attacks."  
R: "And considering there hasn't been an Angel attack for over a year now."  
M: "Considering all the Angels are either  _dead_ , or in a relationship with Rei, yeah I doubt there'll be any further problems with Angels. Still though, Gendo using Rei as blackmail was kind of a dick move."  
R: "...i can understand  _why_  he did that at least."  
M: "...I still don't know what you saw in him. Didn't your mother go for him as well?"  
R: "Yeah. Guess it runs in the family."  
M: "Getting  _fucked_  by an Ikari? In what senses do you mean?"  
R: "Both." She took a sip of her wine. "Forgetting that for a minute though, we should've known at this point the Evangelion could slip loose of the various controls. Probably should've placed more safeguards on it. Not that it would help, other than peace of mind."  
M: "Not really peace of mind if you  _know_  they're ineffective." She took a sip. "Gotta say though, you look damn  _sexy_  in a swimsuit Sempai."  
~

  
  
**_The Beast_**  
R: "Okay, the battle didn't go to plan."  
M: "Probably went to  _Gendo's_  plan though."  
R: "Yeah but who knew  _what_  the hell he was thinking. Though this is still really odd. Watching this, I mean. I remember that phone call with Misato quite vividly."  
M: "At least now we can make sure she didn't try putting the moves on him."  
R: "Considering how vicious Asuka can be,  _especially_  involving Shinji, and the fact Kaji finally put a ring on her, I doubt that'll happen now."  
M: "Seriously though, I didn't know Misato  _lived_  like that before all the pilots moved in with her. It's absolutely disgusting! And I can't believe how indecent she can be."  
R: "You'd  _think_  she was making moves on him, would you? Though I guess it's good she got herself someone who was housebroken enough to do all the chores for her, considering she would probably  _still_  be swimming in ramen boxes and beer cans."  
M: "...on another note, I never liked how traumatising piloting could be for the pilots."  
R: "...it happens. Especially when you're piloting against beings like the Angels. Never know what's gonna happen. Not that we can do much, considering the nature of Eva."  
M: "...of course the machinations of other powers that be didn't help."  
R: "...least we don't have to worry about them that much anymore..."  
~

  
  
**_A Transfer_**  
M: "That simulation was so terrible. Didn't prepare Shinji at all for the next battle."  
R: "You can say that again. What can I say though, the taxpayer is fickle and we only bothered upgrading it once this whole SEELE shit was over and done with."  
M: "Least  _now_  we don't have much issue getting funds. Helps we've expanded into intellectual property."  
R: "Not like our IPs are  _usable_  until we can get our designs approved by the VCCI."  
M: "Fat chance of that happening in our tech's state." She took a sip. "Do you think the battle against Shamshel could've gone better had Shinji been recalled?"  
Ritsuko shrugged. "Sure he was insubordinate, but he did defeat the Angel. Can't really get much better than success. Even if he  _did_  needlessly put Suzuhara and Aida in danger."  
M: "I'm surprised Shinji had that strong a reaction with them in the plug, considering what they did earlier that day."  
R: "Maybe he had that reaction due to wanting to protect them. We know how angry he can get when he wants to protect someone close to him."  
Maya shivered.  
~

  
  
**_Hedgehog's Dilemma_**  
R: "...I thought the disc was damaged."  
M: "Maybe whoever made this, uhh..." She looked over a cover. "Gainax, wanted to cut costs."  
R: "With our own show?"  
Maya shrugged. "Not like  _they_  knew of us existing, if this indeed came from another universe. And anyway, nothing much seemed to happen this episode, did it?"  
R: "That's what I was thinking as well." She sipped wine. "Just Shinji running away, quitting and coming back. Not entirely much to write home about."  
M: "Wasn't even much to write home about when it happened, from what I remember." She took a sip. "Just him being a teenager with issues beyond his station."  
~

  
  
**_Rei I_**  
Ritsuko sighed, shaking her head. "God damn it Ramiel."  
M: "It's so stupid the Angel completely destroyed us as soon as we tried to fight it."  
R: "What can we say? The Angels were like that."  
M: "True, but they could at least  _try_  being fair."  
R: "As they say, a good battle is one stacked in your favour. Or something like that."  
M: "That wasn't the... only thing of note this episode."  
R: "...I assume you're talking about Rei and Shinji."  
She meekly nodded. Maya pretty much blushed through that whole comedy of errors.  
R: "Yeah, it was a pretty awkward affair. Didn't help Gainax decided to stick with that scene for  _just_  the right amount of time to make it uncomfortable."  
M: "But the thing is, all these things have happened to us so far, so this, in all likelihood,  _actually happened_."  
R: "...that just makes it worse then." She raised a glass to Shinji. "Also this episode reminds me, we're  _not_  dining at Misato's place again,  _unless_  she  _isn't_  cooking."  
M: "That's fair, considering whatever toxic sludge she made made  _Pen-Pen_  keel over. Poor penguin." She took a sip as well. "What about Rei though? I remember that berserker event."  
R: "Yeah, that was pretty shitty for her. I honestly thought we would have to terminate her and get another Rei, her injuries were that bad. Of course, if Gendo rose the LCL pressure by a bit, she wouldn't have been injured, to that extent at least."  
M: "...i'm guessing Gendo kept her around deliberately then."  
R: "Yeah... I'd be lying if I said I  _wasn't_  slightly jealous of Rei. At this point at least."  
M: "To be fair though, it's not like you realised how bad the old Commander really was."  
R: "...it took me nearly killing myself to realise that myself, you know." The glass emptied.  
~

  
  
**_Rei II_**  
M: "I thought it was amazing we were able to organise all that for Operation Yashima, and in such a short amount of time too."  
R: "You can accomplish a lot with a healthy dose of paranoia."  
M: "Still though, just over  _half a day_ , to get literally  _all_  the power of Japan into a never before tested gun we stole from the JSSDF."  
R: " _Requisitioned._  It's only stealing if you don't have the paperwork. And you should know by now, NERV is the place for completely off the wall, batshit crazy plans like that. Just look at that damn self-landing Eva rocket we used a week ago. A rocket that  _lands_  would be absurd enough, now put an Evangelion on top of it."  
M: "...sometimes I wonder what the hell is wrong with this universe."  
R: "A lot. But it's alright. I have you, don't I?" She scooted closer to Maya.  
Maya blushed, and leaned into her, chuckling. "Yeah."  
~

  
**_A Human Work_**  
M: "That was a nice little job you did Sempai."  
A light blush escaped her. "Thanks Maya. I didn't plan on Unit-01's deployment, but it's not like I told Misato until after it was all over anyway. Maybe I should've."  
M: " _Maybe_?"  
R: "Okay,  _definitely_. She did deservedly slap me after the fact though, so she got her revenge."  
M: "Seems rather light revenge for  _risking her life_."  
R: "Even though there was never any danger in the first place. I told you how insecure Jet Alone was, right?"  
M: "0.06 seconds through Melchior?"  
R: "And that was  _with_  the challenging security hole. I found over  _700_  holes to choose from."  
M: "...Maybe JHCI deserved to go bankrupt. Not only because of that  _dog_  of a chairman, but because they decided to get  _NEC_  to do the computers for them."  
R: "It's not like their standard is particularly bad as well, considering  _our_  terminals use such an architecture. It's just scaling up such an architecture to the scale of  _thousands of terabytes of memory_  doesn't work well in practice."  
M: "Maybe if they bothered using a different codebase other than  _DOS._  Something more civilised like UNIX."  
R: "Consider the fact even  _nowadays,_  UNIX, or at least  _our_  UNIX, is iffy when it comes to displaying Japanese, even  _with_ bespoke code for it. That's why all our terminals almost always display in Hepburn or  _English_."  
M: "So they chose design over functionality."  
R: "Sure seems like it."  
M: "Then that's a  _third_  reason why they deserve to go bankrupt."  
Ritsuko shrugged. "When you have investors to impress, sometimes you  _have_  to go for design. Be glad  _we_  don't have to convince a board of old men every time we invent a new way to irradiate someone."  
~

  
  
**_Asuka's Arrival in Japan_**  
R: "I'm sure the Pacific Fleet thought it annoying all their ships got trashed."  
M: "Not that they could do much about it, considering  _Angel_. Something that  _is_  concerning though, is what Kaji was doing."  
R: "That little sneak. I knew he was a quadruple agent or something stupid like that. Switched sides like he switched women after Misato left him."  
M: "Course, nowadays he's not only in  _one_  organisation, but is actually  _engaged_  with her. Still,  _Adam_!"  
R: "Yeah, sounds kinda stupid when you think about it. Considering the world would  _end_  if an Angel met with their progenitor. As far as we know."  
M: "We  _still_  don't know how that works?"  
Ritsuko shrugged. "I thought Rei and Kaworu getting...  _together_  would end the world, considering their...  _differences._ But hey! We're still here and not in some Gods know what."  
M: "And I assume they're still getting it on."  
R: "Wouldn't be surprised, considering all the pilots are dangerously co-dependent and  _they_  were apart for several days."  
M: " _We're_  dangerously co-dependent too, you realise."  
R: "You wouldn't trade it for the world though, would ya?"  
M: "Hell no, I like being held at night. And..." She grew bashful. "...Being drilled like Arabia is pretty great too..."  
Ritsuko burst out laughing at her embarrassment. "Shame we actually have to  _concentrate_  on these Laserdiscs for once."  
~

  
  
**_Both of You, Dance Like You Want to Win!_**  
M: "Y'know, I thought they wouldn't be able to get along, considering how toxic they seemed to each other."  
R: "You could see in the episode though, Asuka has just as much baggage as Shinji and Rei, if not more. Considering..."  
M: "...she didn't deserve that." She knew her file.  
R: "...no one deserved the shit they got, you know. At least the battle with Israfel went well."  
M: "After the initial failure."  
R: "It went well _enough_. It  _eventually_  ended with the Angel's defeat, at least. Their bickering was anticipated at this point."  
M: "People didn't seem to think it'll end up that way though, considering most of NERV took bets on the outcome."  
R: "...they gambled on whether they would win?"  
M: "Yeah. A majority thought they would lose."  
R: "...they all thought they would  _lose_? And why haven't I heard of this until now?"  
M: "You think the commander would've allowed that?"  
R: "Gods no, even  _nowadays_  it wouldn't be allowed."  
~

  
  
**_Magmadiver_**  
M: "That was oddly heartwarming, wasn't it?"  
R: "Yeah. Shinji can be like that. Always willing to protect the people he loves."  
M: "And it was quite obvious he loved her."  
R: "And she loved him. At least they  _finally_  got together after orbiting around each other for ages."  
M: "Yeah, and speaking of heroic Shinji, Sandalphon. This operation was  _horribly_  flawed."  
R: "...I think I can understand where you're coming from, Maya. How we never found our enemy in a dormant state before?"  
M: "And how said enemy was in one of the most  _hostile_  environments on Earth. Almost like it  _wanted_  to be found?"  
R: "It would make sense, if an Angel like Sandalphon  _could_ indeed think up a relatively complex strategy like that. But we believed taking the offensive and studying a dormant Angel would be too valuable to pass up."  
M: "Shame it decided to wake up just as we captured it then."  
R: "Also what was that book you were reading Maya?~"  
M: "...it may have been a romance novel..."  
R: "About?~"  
M: "...yuri." She squeaked.  
~

  
  
**_The Day Tokyo-3 Stood Still_**  
M: "I didn't even  _know_  we had  _candles_  in case of something like this."  
R: "You can never know what'll happen. Sabotage of the power is  _always_  a possibility. At least it didn't hinder defeating Matarael too much."  
M: "That Angel was so  _weak_. It's damn lucky the weakest of the bunch decided to attack while  _we_  were at our weakest."  
R: "The episode didn't even tell us  _why_  it happened. I thought it was the Angel who disrupted the power."  
M: "I noticed a few implications that  _Kaji_  did it."  
R: "Kaji? That would make sense I suppose, considering his status at this point."  
M: "Honestly, knowing him, I wouldn't be surprised if he did it just so he could get stuck in the elevator with Misato. At the  _very_ least, they weren't being degenerates like I thought."  
R: "The pilots could've worked together better though. At least they improved later."  
M: "Took them long enough. Also I didn't expect to see me doing my laundry."  
R: "Suppose it's to show that you and the other bridge personnel have lives. Speaking of which... I should probably thank you for doing my laundry too."  
Maya gave her a kiss, smiling. "Not a problem Sempai."  
R: "You're so adorable you know."  
~

  
  
**_She said, 'Don't make others suffer for your personal hatred.'_**  
M: "...that opening would've done a number on Misato, wouldn't it?" She took a drink.  
R: "Yeah... what happened in Antarctica is a sensitive topic for her. She... doesn't like talking about it."  
M: "...we all have things like that. Though we all have at least  _someone_  to talk about our issues with, eh Sempai?"  
R: "Yeah. It's pretty great being able to lay your feelings bare."  
M: "...compared to the opening, the rest of the episode was rather tame."  
R: "If you could call an Angel attempting to  _bombard us from orbit_  tame."  
M: "This is NERV,  _anything_  is tame in comparison to what we all faced."  
R: "This Angel had a decent strategy though, similar to Sandalphon. Making us stray away from our hunting grounds so as to have a more even battle."  
M: "Though once Sahaquiel played its hand it couldn't do much else, could it?"  
R: "And that's why the Angels failed. Because they overspecialise. Us humans can adapt to any situation we find ourselves in, even  _before_  said situation."  
M: "And we obviously don't need much incentive to do so, considering the pilots did this borderline suicidal mission on the  _promise_  of a  _steak_. Which they  _didn't even have_."  
Ritsuko shrugged. "It's not like they were paid much, or even had  _use_  for such money. It was a rather generous offer of Misato actually, considering a half decent piece of meat costs at least 10000 yen in this city."  
M: "Rei doesn't even  _eat_  meat anyway. Like me or Kaworu."  
R: "It would've been 5000 yen cheaper then, considering how the salads are like."  
M: "...honestly the salads at that place aren't great.  _I_  can make a better tasting dish and I can barely make  _toast_."  
R: "It's not like we cook much anyway, considering the lab is pretty much our second home."  
M: "Yeah, we've sure broken it in like a second home."  
~

  
  
**_Lilliputian Hitcher_**  
R: "This was fun."  
M: "We have odd definitions of fun, don't we?"  
R: "Nothing gets the blood pumping like speed programming for a tertiary base."  
M: "That was quite genius actually, considering the Angel would have evolved to use binary logic."  
R: "Only bought us a few hours, but we sure put those hours to good use." She took a sip and opened the third bottle. "Also we never told the pilots about this, did we?"  
Maya thought. "I don't remember, but then again debriefing isn't exactly my job. Wouldn't be surprised if we  _didn't_  though."  
R: "Oh well, they know  _now_ , considering they saw this already."  
M: "This  _still_  raises the question though, how on Earth did Iruel even  _get_  this deep into Central anyway?"  
R: "Probably sabotage." She gave a shrug. "Considering it started on that construction that arrived a few days earlier. Wouldn't be surprised if SEELE got their mitts on it."  
M: "Considering I saw  _Kaji_  earlier as well." She looked at the clock. "Man the time is just flying, isn't it?"  
R: "Yeah, this is actually somewhat enjoyable. I'm quite surprised how well our lives translate into drama."  
M: "Makes sense, considering our lives seems to be lifted directly out of an anime. Or maybe it was the other way round. I don't know anymore. I could use some coffee though."  
R: "The Cabernet not enough?"  
She shrugged as she walked over to the machine. "I only had a few glasses of the stuff. Unlike  _you_ , Sempai." She gave a glare. She never liked how much she could drink.  
R: "That's good, cause we still have the other half of the show to go, plus the movie. And we need at least  _one_  of us sober."  
M: "...It's probably gonna get much worse, emotionally, isn't it?"  
R: "...probably. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it though."  
Maya strolled back to the couch, two mugs of coffee in her hands. Her Sempai took it with thanks.  
~

  
  
**_Weaving a Story_**  
M: "They were right to suspect the Commander."  
R: "Considering how concerned they would've been with Iruel. But it's a bit cheap to have half the episode be a recap, even  _if_  it's excused away as being a meeting."  
M: "That's what I like about these discs though, you can be privy to a whole slew of private and classified stuff."  
R: "So it's good that someone from  _NERV_  found it first, even if they then watched and absorbed it all."  
Ritsuko shrugged. "It was mostly stuff they were privy to either way at least, either then or now." She took a sip. "On another note, while I'm not  _glad_  we don't have Unit-00 anymore, I'm relieved we don't have to deal with its... temper."  
M: "...did we ever find out who was the resident soul of Unit-00?"  
R: "...Rei's still hesitant to reveal who it was."  
M: "...I think I can understand that. She must've  _hated_  having to sortie in that thing. Kinda a shame the dummy plug system completely failed, if it could save her that strain."  
R: "You were completely correct about the dummy plugs, Maya. That was such a stupid mistake."  
M: "Odd, cause Gendo was the type of guy to always be pulling strings. You'd think he'd develop the dummy plug into something  _better_  than the pilots,  _not_  firing the pilots for doing their jobs  _and_  sending the underperforming and under tested dummy plugs against the  _strongest enemy we faced_."  
R: "I heard he got chewed out by the Instrumentality Committee at least."  
M: "Thought he would've been fired."  
R: "They still needed to at least  _pretend_  to work together at that point."  
~

  
  
**_Those women longed for the touch of others' lips, and thus invited their kisses._**  
  
M: "Well that was a bit of an awkward first kiss."  
R: "They're teenagers. _Of course_  the first kiss would be awkward."  
M: "I assume they got together eventually though, considering how Shinji reacted to Leliel. When did they become an item, you think?"  
R: "...I had suspicions for a while due to how they  _always_  reacted around each other. And the fact she asked for  _birth control_ shortly after Leliel, because she 'hated her period' or something."  
Maya snorted. "Did she think you wouldn't pick up on that?"  
R: "Probably, but relations between pilots is harmless enough, long as they don't let it get in the way of piloting. Considering they can't drink or smoke, you gotta have  _something_  to relieve the stress of it all, as long as they  _both_  want it. So, I didn't pursue it. Though I  _thought_  it was more of a friends with benefits type of thing. I only discovered the  _full_  extent of their relationship shortly before the SEELE war."  
M: "With how they were like, it would've been inevitable anyway. Like with Rei and Kaworu, she was practically  _yandere_  towards the poor boy before they got together."  
R: "Ah, young love. How sappy. Speaking of love though, Kaji."  
M: "I thought it was sweet how he helped out Misato like that. Even though she should've held off the drinks."  
R: "Yeah, she was a bit overzealous with the cocktails. Too used to that canned shit." She took a sip of wine, ironically. "Kaji was lucky he wasn't burned though, prying into the business of NERV and SEELE like that. It helps he was working  _for_  us, I suppose."  
M: "Misato would've been completely broken if that did happen, wouldn't she?"  
R: "Most likely, considering they were rebuilding their relationship at this point in time."  
M: "Even though she was probably too drunk to remember what happened."  
R: "You'd be surprised. I'm sure Shinji would've wanted a drink after that awkward meeting between him and his father."  
M: "They were always like that, weren't they?"  
R: "I think their relationship actually got  _worse_  over the later part of the Angel war, if that was even possible at this point. He didn't even  _react_  when he found out about Gendo's death."  
M: "Though he was in battle at that point."  
R: "Still though, you'd expect  _something_. He must've  _hated_  him for what he did." She sighed. "For good reason."  
~

  
**_Splitting of the Breast_**  
  
"Wait a Gods damned minute." Ritsuko paused the video. "That wasn't how it happened!"  
  
"It was  _Asuka_. Why is it different? Did something happen last time to diverge the timelines?"  
  
"I'd usually dismiss that, but considering the inconsistencies in this episode  _so far_ , we have to assume yes."  
  
"...So the universe depicted in these discs is different than  _our_  universe?"  
  
"...We'd have to assume yes." Ritsuko took a decent sip of her wine, slumping back into the couch. "So what do we do now? It's no longer relevant to our universe, isn't it?"  
  
"We could still find out some decent information, I guess. Plus, we've already watched this much, so we can't really stop now."  
  
"Fair enough." She closed her 3rd notebook. "Though I doubt we can get some relevant information now."  
  
"Flashbacks would still be valid, I guess." She shrugged. "World mechanics should be the same as well. Plus, we have an opportunity to see what  _could've_  happened, had things gone differently."  
  
Ritsuko thought. "...do you think that kiss was the diverging point?"  
  
"A botched kiss causing these changes." She gave an incredulous glance to her Sempai.  
  
"Hear me out. Asuka's sync rate went down, which could've been due to the emotional stress coming from that. She probably took it the wrong way, especially with Shinji getting top sync now. This caused her to push Shinji further, resulting in Leliel entrapping him."  
  
"Even though an awkward first kiss was to be expected, considering how they were like."  
  
" _All_  our pilots, possibly excluding Hikari, are definitely not people persons. She should've expected him to be dense and closed off. Same as she was."  
  
"So, an awkward kiss between two teenagers is our divergence point." Maya deadpanned, still trying to boggle my head around the theory. "And I thought  _my_  novels were contrived."  
  
Ritsuko shrugged. "You could say the same thing about all the Angels we faced. We know this  _didn't_  happen in our universe, at least."  
  
"I suppose things would go somewhat similarly then. Bardiel, Zeruel, et cetera."  
  
"They  _should_ , but let’s wait and see."  
~~~

  
  
R: "Okay, so  _overall_ , for it pretty much being another universe at this point, things have been similar."  
M: "Both Units 01 and 02 went berserk at Leliel though."  
Ritsuko nodded. "But overall, the scenario was familiar, despite the changes. Though I think I'd be starting to get concerned about the mental state of Shinji."  
M: "He sounded  _really_  depressed in that... whatever that was, with Leliel."  
R: "I think Leliel was trying to communicate with him, or her in  _our_  universe's case. But even if that  _were_  the case, the commander wouldn't have told the committee about that."  
M: "Oh yeah, they would've gone mental at that revelation."  
R: "They  _were_  mental. Speaking of mental things, Dirac Sea's."  
M: "That's very much  _your_  field of play, Rits. That sort of higher mathematical stuff just baffles me. All these Dirac's and Metaphysical Biology. I'm comfortable enough with my biocomputing skillset."  
R: "Maybe I can teach you about that type of thing."  
M: "That'll be another reason why I could call you Sempai then!"  
R: "I know how much you like calling me Sempai anyway, my Kohai~"  
Maya giggled. "Do we know if Kaji tried something like that in  _our_  world?"  
Ritsuko shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not, we can't know for sure, since things are different now."  
~

  
  
**_Forth Child_**  
M: "I wouldn't have assumed  _Suzuhara_  would be picked, even if he  _was_  on the shortlist."  
R: "You can see  _their_  thinking though. Shinji doesn't have as good a relationship between Asuka and Rei, especially compared to how it was in  _our_  universe. Hell, their syncs were so great in our world, I practically  _forced_  Rei to be with them. Therefore, picking one of  _his_  friends to pilot would seem like a reasonable option, even if Suzuhara doesn't respond well to authority like Hikari."  
M: "The only authority he seems to respond to  _is_  Hikari. And considering what happened, I think Hikari was the better option. Considering what happens shortly afterwards with Bardiel."  
R: "It could've gone worse, I suppose. We could've lost Unit-03. Something that  _definitely_  could've gone better though was that damn Nevada incident."  
M: "Did we ever find out what happened to cause that?"  
Her Sempai shook her head. "The Magi were able to narrow it down by half. But that still left over 16 thousand possibilities, so we had to put it to bed."  
M: "Quite a shame it happened. I heard good things about the pilot of Unit-04. Makinami, was it?"  
R: "...Makinami?  _I_  heard she was mental. I thought she was supposed to be stationed at NERV-Bethany though, not Nevada."  
Maya shrugged, pulling up a terminal and looking up some information. "We have the power of technology."  
R: "What's it say?"  
M: "...Access denied." She handed the terminal to Ritsuko, who logged and looked.  
R: "...apparently she was in Vegas for a vacation, and Nevada needed a test pilot."  
M: "...that's a bit of a shitty end." She toasted the woman. "Hopefully it was instant. Also, why did no one tell Shinji about his friend being made pilot? I thought he would've been told immediately."  
R: "Well, Asuka in this show hates his guts at this point, and Misato sounds like she wanted to protect Shinji. And considering  _Aida_  had to tell him about Nevada, it sounds like he was left even more in the dark about specific events."  
M: "Well then. Bardiel's gonna be interesting then, isn't it?"  
~

  
  
**_Ambivalence_**  
  
The room was silent. Maya had burrowed herself into her Sempai as soon as the bloodshed started, and remained that way. The pouring of wine was the only sound to break though.  
  
"...well. I thought it would've been impossible for Bardiel to get any worse. But it did."  
  
"...wine please."  
  
Ritsuko granted her request, and handed Maya her recently topped glass. Maya got through a fair chunk of it. "...okay." A hiccup. "Okay, I think I'm good."  
  
"Shit like that is why I smoke." Her Sempai deadpanned, lighting up. "While I can understand  _why_  the Gendo of  _that_  universe activated the dummy system at that stage, considering what happened and how Shinji was acting, he pretty much destroyed his fragile psyche."  
  
"Not like the other Evangelions could help as well, considering they  _all_  hesitated and  _all_  failed." She continued nursing her glass.  
  
"...That would've damaged Asuka's psyche as well. How is it possible that the pilots are even more emotionally damaged than our universe."  
  
"...Unit-03 is toast. How the hell is Zeruel gonna go?"  
  
"...fuck." She looked at the nearly empty bottle, the 4th one of the night. "We're gonna need more wine."  
~

  
  
**_Introjection_**  
R: "...Asuka, you son of a bitch.  _That's_  why you feasted."  
M: "...it's still sickening, even in an animated form."  
R: "But it was an effective strategy, considering it  _worked_ , and it didn't result in a Dirac Sea consuming us."  
M: "...I thought Unit-01 wouldn't be able to handle an S2 engine."  
R: "Well,  _I_  thought that too, due to it being based off Lilith instead of Adam."  
M: "Guess that's not the case anymore?"  
R: "...at least in  _that_  universe." She quickly wrote down some notes in her doctor's scratch. "Might be interesting to test out."  
M: "So we're gonna be doing what Asuka did and use these discs to further us?"  
R: "Of course! If it'll give us an advantage."  
M: "Even though they said Unit-01 awakened, which is pretty bad."  
R: "A 400% sync is pretty bad too, but then again everything that happened in this shitshow of an episode was 'pretty bad'. Also, now I think about it, Unit-01 getting possession of an S2 organ  _might_  not be as good an idea."  
M: "Whatever for?"  
R: "Godhood."  
M: "Eh? This some progenitor related stuff?"  
Ritsuko nodded. "If an Adam and a Lilith were to combine, they would become God. The Gift of Life and the Gift of Knowledge, together."  
M: "...which is bad."  
R: "Yes. Indefinite life and indefinite knowledge. It was how SEELE and Gendo planned to launch Third Impact."  
M: "...well, I'm pretty sure Rei and Kaworu combine every night, and a Third Impact hasn't happened."  
Rits shrugged. "At this stage, we would've thought Kaworu eating a grilled cheese could cause an Impact event. I think  _proper_ Godhood requires a progenitor.  
M: "...man this is confusing." She took a drink. "400% sync is where the barriers between pilot and Evangelion completely cease to exist, right?"  
R: "Yeah. It's what happened to Hikari when Bardiel infected Unit-03, though we believe her mother  _forced_  a 400% sync just before the infection took hold, taking her into the core so she could protect Hikari."  
M: "...they can do that?"  
R: "...the Evangelion have their own personalities and agenda, and would protect their pilots like a mother protects their child. I think that's why Unit-01 rejected the dummy plug and Rei. We were fools to believe we could completely control them. And the NERV of the discs were fools to believe that as well."  
M: "...Unit-01 never awoke like that though."  
R: "It didn't... but that's what happens when you push your Evangelion to the limits."  
~

  
  
**_WEAVING A STORY 2: oral stage_**  
Maya hid her blush behind a throw pillow. "They didn't  _have_  to show that..."  
R: "Imagine how the others reacted to this then."  
M: "...Misato probably wouldn't give much of a damn. At least until that... gift of his."  
R: "...knowing her, she would've been upset at that." She sighed. "Like she was at the seemingly failed recovery."  
M: "...yeah, that was uncomfortable. Though we know from Hikari you don't  _need_  to have their constituent parts present. If they decide to come back, they come back pretty much intact, albeit without clothing."  
R: " _They_  wouldn't, because things went differently with Bardiel. This would've been the first time attempting a recovery since... Yui."  
M: "...and  _that_  failed."  
R: "Yeah... but the reason recovery attempts like this fail is because... they don't  _want_  to return."  
M: "...that says a lot about Shinji's mental state at this point."  
R: "...that's the same with their resident souls. That's why Yui couldn't be recovered."  
M: "...she  _wanted_  to remain in Unit-01. Why though?"  
R: "...that's known only to herself and Shinji."  
~~~

 

**_He was aware that he was still a child (UNABRIDGED)_ **

R: "Hang on a minute, this is a historic episode."  
M: "So it's still relevant to us?"  
R: "Should be." She got out the notebook.  
~

  
  
_Monolithic_  
M: "Fuyutsuki was never kidnapped by SEELE, was he?"  
R: "Nope, though I can see why they would do so. They seemingly weren't getting much information from Gendo about Zeruel and Unit-01's S2 engine. Maybe they thought to get their information from another source."  
M: " _How_  would they even get him anyway? Isn't Section 2 meant to be protecting him?"  
R: "Knowing Section 2, this isn't outside the realms of possibility."  
M: "They're really that bad." She deadpanned.  
~

  
  
_Rokubungi_  
M: "I miss autumn." She wistfully lamented, swirling her glass.  
R: "Hang on,  _he_  changed his last name?"  
Maya chuckled. "Sounds like something out of one of my books. Must've loved her a lot."  
R: "...it sounds like something I could see  _Shinji_  doing. I doubt he appreciates the Ikari name after what he's been through."  
M: "...what  _did_  she see in Gendo anyway? Considering his and Fuyutsuki's first meeting was him  _bailing Gendo out_."  
R: "That's known only to Yui. I wouldn't have expected her to be in on the conspiracy though."  
M: "And  _he_  went to  _her_  to get involved in it. She must've been born into it or something like that."  
Her Sempai shrugged. "Once again, known only to her."  
~

  
  
_2002_  
M: "I wouldn't have expected Gendo to be at Antarctica just before Second Impact."  
R: "It's  _oddly convenient_  he left right before Second Impact."  
M: "Sounds like one of those 'Nagisa born on Second Impact' type of conveniences. And they must've had Shinji  _immediately_ after he got back."  
R: "To be fair, they were probably glad he  _barely_  avoided being caught in the Impact, even if it was contrived. And what better way to celebrate being alive than sex?"  
M: "W-well obviously it was more than just 'Happy to be alive sex'. I imagine they didn't want to risk anything after that."  
R: "...she would've been in her early 20's. Jeez, I couldn't even imagine having a child that early."  
Maya became lost in thought. Her Sempai noticed this, and gave a soft chuckle, sipping her wine.  
~

  
  
_Thousand Yard Stare_  
R: "...so  _that's_  what she had to go through... No wonder why she was so talkative in college."  
M: "...I couldn't imagine what she was going through after Second Impact."  
R: "Post traumatic stress. Pretty severe case of it too, not like... my case. At least I'm not catatonic..."  
M: "...man, Misato even got a fair share of trauma. I genuinely didn't know that."  
R: "She... doesn't like to talk about it. As I said. She only told me what happened a couple times, and every time she did, she fell pensive and melancholic. And... I told her to stop, since it  _really_  strained her."  
M: "...that's fair enough."  
~

  
  
_Akagi_  
R: "...mother."  
M: "...i know for a fact you don't like talking about her, Ritsuko."  
She gave a gentle nod. "It's not like we had a particularly bad relationship either. She was always busy with her work, but then again, so am I. Even back then. Can't exactly fault her for that. It was... the situation surrounding her exit..."  
Maya knew the rumours surrounding the elder Akagi. She elected to hold her Sempai's hand, running her thumb over her hand, trying to give her some comfort. She wouldn't pursue it.  
~

  
  
_2005_  
R: "...This is the Misato I know."  
M: "This was how you first met?"  
R: "Yeah. In college. She was such a chatterbox back then."  
M: "Making up for lost time?"  
R: "Possibly. Though she wasn't  _just_  a chatterbox."  
Maya listened on.  
M: "A  _week?!_  By the Gods, his poor pelvis. And  _why did you tell your Mother about that?_ "  
R: "Do  _you_  know of anyone who could go for a week straight, skipping their other responsibilities and appointments, just to ride on someone's baloney pony?"  
M: "Gods no,  _I_  can barely last a few  _hours_  with you without getting completely spent."  
R: "Then you can understand how I thought it was something to write home about." She laughed at her Kohai's exasperation. "Shit, that means Misato  _knows_  I wrote to mother about that."  
It was Maya's turn to laugh.  
~

  
  
_2004_  
M: "Poor Shinji... having to go through that."  
R: "It doesn't help it seems  _deliberate_  on Yui's part."  
M: "...she  _wanted_  him to watch? But that implies she  _knew_  what would happen."  
R: "Who knows at this point. She's one of the biggest enigmas of GEHIRN and NERV."  
M: "Doesn't help she continues to be privy towards her thoughts, based on those proxy interviews we tried." She took another sip. "Least I can understand why Gendo became cool and aloof."  
R: "...she should've told him."  
M: "He would've stopped her. Knowing how much he loved her,  _he_  might've done the contact experiment instead of her, had he known."  
R: "...that would've been an interesting scenario."  
~

  
  
_2010_  
M: "He was a sick bastard, going for the both of you."  
R: "Like mother like daughter..." Her eyes went wide as she saw the young Rei.  
M: "Y'know, Rei looks kinda like Yui. Didn't you say something about that, Sempai?"  
No reply.  
M: "...Ritsuko?" She murmured, concerned about her tension.  
R: "...what episode is this?"  
M: "...21. M-Misato warned you about this one, didn't she?"  
Her eyes were glued to the screen, as she blindly sought Maya's comfort.  
~

  
  
_Old Hag_  
Rei-1 revealed her revelation.  
The scene played out, to shocked silence.  
  
"...Ritsuko..." Maya looked on in horror. She could feel her Sempai tremble.  
  
It took a minute for the full realisation to hit the doctor. The rumours were indeed true. There was no reason to assume that everything  _before_  the divergence point was false, considering everything else had been accurate.  
  
Maya could tell her Sempai was on the verge of breaking down. This wasn't the first time.   
  
Maya held her.  
  
She broke.  
~~~

  
  
The phone rang, the commander answered.  _"...Maya?"_  
  
"...we're gonna need another day to get through those discs, Commander. If you don't mind." She kept her voice down.  
  
_"...did Rits need a breather after..._ that _episode?"_  
  
"...yeah." Maya had an air of sorrow in her murmur. "we didn't watch the rest of them after that. she... just wanted to hold me for the rest of the night." Careful wording.  
  
_"...i understand Maya. You two don't have to come in if you don't want to. I'll cover for you."_  
  
"...i think that would be good for us. Thanks Misato."  
  
_"...no problem. you take care of her, okay Maya?"_  
  
"I will. Don't worry about that." She hung up the cell. Ritsuko was asleep in her arms, exhausted, tears staining her face. Maya ran a hand through her Sempai's dyed hair as she sighed. "...you poor thing. what'll I do with you."  
~~~

  
  
Misato leant on her hand, playing with her beer can, sighing. "I knew she would have a strong reaction to that..."  
  
"It was  _that_  episode, wasn't it?" Asuka was resting on Shinji and playing on her WonderSwan, something she forgot existed until after all the Laserdiscs were done. Shinji meanwhile was simply content to watch her play some odd platformer with a long eared protagonist, and bask in her warmth. Misato's new TV wouldn't arrive until early next week, and he was quite tired actually, considering what he and Asuka did for most of the day.

At the very least, they didn't have to buy Misato ramen. "Being confronted with something like that  _would_  do that to you. Especially if you thought it to be simple rumour."  
  
"...I even warned her about that specific episode."  
  
"...well, it sounded like she pretty much denied it from the moment it happened." Shinji tiredly theorised. "Which would make sense, if it was how she coped with it. But now she's been forced to confront it."  
  
"...she didn't take it well." A long sip from her Yebisu. "Not at all."  
  
"...similar to Rei?"  
  
"...sounds like it."  
  
"...how long did it take for Ritsuko to calm down?" Asuka had paused her game at this point.  
  
"...sounded like a while. Maya didn't really say much. They're probably not coming in tomorrow though. Guess that also means your sync test is delayed until Saturday."  
  
"...so  _we're_  off tomorrow as well?"  
  
"Yeah. Pretty sure you guys don't have any other business tomorrow."  
  
"...that'll have a consequence for my pelvis, I fear." Shinji deadpanned, as Asuka chided him for the insensitive remark with an elbow to the ribs.  
~~~

  
  
Ritsuko stirred. Begrudgingly. Her vision was blurred and she felt like a train hit her. At least Maya was holding her. Which was odd, cause it was usually  _her_  who held Maya. Not that she minded.  
  
Maya stirred. "...Sempai." She cooed. "How're you feeling?"  
  
"...like shit." Sardonic was her tone. "h-how much did I have last night?"  
  
"...a bit."  
  
"...sorry I drink so much Maya." She rested her eyes. "and smoke. just got a lot of things on my mind, usually."  
  
"I know, Ritsuko. No need to apologise." Her hand ran through Ritsuko's hair. "Considering the... contents of the episode."  
  
Her lidded eyes were looking down, unfocused. "...what my mother did was reprehensible. i'm not denying that. i wish i could but i can't." She murmured, trying to keep her emotions in check. "not anymore."  
  
"...i'm sorry Ritsuko... I.. I don't know what to say..." Maya sighed, forlorn, continuing to hold her.  
  
"...it's ok Maya. don't worry yourself. you're doing well giving me comfort already."  
  
They sat in silence for a bit, as Ritsuko rebooted her brain.  
  
"...I need some aspirin. What's the time anyway?"  
  
"Uhh..." Maya looked down at her phone. "uhh, I'm gonna preface this by saying I called Misato last night and she allowed us a day off."  
  
"What's the time, Maya?"  
  
"...1437." She squeaked.  
  
This gave the doctor some pause.  
  
She chuckled. "I haven't slept in that much since my college days." She got out her phone and called. "...Misato?"  
  
_"You're awake. You feel alright?"_  
  
"Like I was in a car crash."  
  
_"Could be worse then. You two don't have to worry about coming in today, I can cover for you. Considering for one, you're going through a lot emotionally, and two, you're probably hung over."_  
  
"I didn't drink  _that_  much Misato."  
  
_"I can smell the alcohol from here."_  She deadpanned.  _" **You're**  smart, make some magic Romulan Ale so you can get drunk without the hangover!" _They both chuckled at this remark, and Misato sighed.  _"I pushed the pilot's sync test to tomorrow. Take some aspirin, order yourselves some takeout or something like that, and continue watching those discs. Come back tomorrow bright eyed, bushy tailed and **not**  hung over and emotionally broken, oki?"_  
  
"Yes Ma'am." She replied, dripping in sarcasm.  
  
_"...seriously though. I know how badly it affected Rei. I knew it would affect **you**  badly as well. Hence why I gave you the heads up."_  
  
"...oh  _fuck_. Rei..." She sighed.  
  
_"She doesn't hold anything against you, you know. If it's any consolation."_  
  
"...it's not. But it's alright Misato. I'll be at NERV the usual time tomorrow. And... thanks for covering for us. Now I know why you asked us to cover for you those few times."  
  
_"That's all good. Enjoy your impromptu day off, baiiii **CLICK** "_  
  
She put the phone down. "...a day off eh."  
  
"We already slept through half of it though."  
  
"...oh well." She got up and straightened her shirt, to a slightly disappointed noise from Maya. "Here's what we're gonna do. Aspirin. Shower,  _together_. Coffee. No wine for at least a week. I'm gonna call Pizza Hut and order a few vegetarian pizzas and a garlic bread. And we're gonna continue watching these Gods forsaken discs."  
  
"...do we even  _have_  a Pizza Hut in the Geofront?"  
  
"...damn it. We really need to open up some of the land for commercial development."  
~~~

  
  
"Did we finish watching the last part of the episode?"  
  
"I don't remember either of us pausing it." Ritsuko got herself a hearty slice of pizza (from the Geofront cafeteria, unfortunately), currently her substitute for alcohol and doing wonders for her latent hangover. "Though I don't really remember what happened. You?"  
  
"I think Kaji... got assassinated."  
  
Her Sempai choked on the pizza. "You're shitting me. Did he try rescuing Fuyutsuki or something?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
She scoffed. "Moron. He knew he would get burnt."  
  
"Hence why he gave Misato that 'gift' last episode."  
  
"...she would've broken down at that as well. Man these discs must've done a number on all of them."  
  
"It's done a number on  _you_ , Sempai."  
  
"...I'm just glad  _you_  haven't really been shafted, Maya."  
~~~

 

 ** _Don't Be._**  
M: "...Asuka didn't deserve that..."  
R: "...Neither did Rei or Kaworu... But it still happened."  
M: "...why didn't Shinji help her? He did so with Rei and Kaworu. I would think he would help Asuka."  
R: "...this Shinji's backbone is like a sponge though. He's pretty much useless at this point." She cooly analysed. "With all the trauma the both of them's been through, I wouldn't be surprised if they simply stopped working. Especially Asuka, who's had loss after loss affecting her mental state. This... rape by Arael will only make things worse for her."  
M: "...you think whoever wrote this had a vendetta against her? Not only her, but Shinji too. The two of them has been completely destroyed over the course of the past few episodes."  
R: "...we can't know that for sure, Maya. It's an odd thing to consider though; since this appears to be fictional in where ever universe this comes from. Why would the creator hate their creation?"  
M: "...Do you think the Gods stay in heaven because they, too, live in fear of what they created?"  
R: "Considering we have  _killed_  what a layman would consider  _Gods._  'God's in his heaven' and all that. I'm sure if the end of the world were to happen according to the various scriptures of the world, we'd have contingencies against all of them. Considering we  _avoided_ an apocalypse according to  _a_  scripture already."  
M: "...y'know, when you put it that way, it really puts into perspective how screwed up our world is."  
R: "Considering  _souls_  exist and they can be proven by science. It's like the Gods have already had their way with this place. And they have." She munched on her alcohol substitute known as pizza. "I can see why Asuka thought her brain would melt when I tried explaining it to the pilots."  
M: "Also, we  _knew_  SEELE were making the MP-Eva?"  
R: "We didn't anticipate they would be used against  _us_  though. Not until the 11th hour at least."  
~~~

 

**_Rei III (UNABRIDGED)_ **

_Depression_  
M: "...that would've ruined her."  
R: "...she was already ruined at this point. Who knows if she could even pilot at this point. Her mental state is so completely fucked up that I don't even know if she could  _sync_  with Unit-02."  
M: "...how will Armisael go then? We had all 4 Units deployed, and... Rei still died."  
R: "...the only way it could get worse at that point is if  _others_  die. It may sound harsh, but out of  _all_  the pilots who could have died at that point,  _Rei_  was the least worst option."  
M: "...it's still terrible to think like that, but I can understand. Considering her... status. The tank is still inoperable right?"  
Ritsuko affirmed. "She said to me she does not want to come back, if it ever happens again."  
M: "...I think I can understand that."  
~

  
  
_Infected_  
M: "... _this_  is still the same so far."  
R: "...Do you think it'll happen again?"  
M: "At this rate, it might... hang on a minute, where's Kaworu? He was already here at this point?"  
Ritsuko ran her mind back. "Huh. He should've been sent to us after Zeruel. Maybe SEELE thought to do something else instead of sending him."  
M: "Maybe that's why they kidnapped Fuyutsuki, considering Unit-01 obtained an S2 engine in this reality."  
R: "That's right. SEELE would not be happy about that. They wouldn't send Kaworu out to cover for the pilot of Unit-03 due to its being destroyed, and they would probably want answers about  _why_  Unit-01, which was pretty much the centre of Gendo's plan, just so happened to obtain an S2 engine."  
M: "Even though it was clear it was more of an incidental event, in the defeat of Zeruel."  
R: "I think Yui knew what she was doing."  
~

  
  
_One With Me_  
M: "...it was still the same... out of all the things that were different, why did this remain the same?"  
R: "...it's possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That's just life."  
M: "...do you think she'll come back?"  
R: "I think so. We haven't seen anything about the tank yet. So we can assume it hasn't been sabotaged. If anything, it'll be  _easier_  in this world than in ours."  
M: "Of course, she will still be a different entity essentially."  
R: "...yeah. Splintering souls would do that to you."  
M: "...what about Asuka? She wasn't even able to sync with her Eva this time around."  
R: "...she would have to be replaced, harsh it sounds." She shook her head, clearly sympathetic. "Poor girl. If she wasn't suicidal before."  
M: "...you'd think-"  
R: "Eva is  _this_  Asuka's life. At least  _our_  Asuka has Shinji to fall back on, as I assumed she did when they got fired after Bardiel, and after they thought Rei died.  _This_  Asuka has nothing else  _other_  than Eva, at least according to her."  
M: "...i hope they don't show that... she doesn't deserve that."  
Maya curled up to her Sempai, obviously seeking comfort.  
~

  
  
_Comfort_  
M: "...disgusting."  
R: "I can see how  _that_  Misato would try such a thing though. Kaji's gone. She's been going through all that shit, and delving deeper into our secrets wouldn't help as well. Considering all the shit Shinji is going through as well, considering Rei had seemingly died in front of him."  
M: "...and Shinji denied it?"  
R: "As he would. He would just want to isolate himself with that damn Walkman of his. Of course, it doesn't help that  _their_ relationship would've soured, considering how aloof Misato has been."  
M: "...man, everyone is getting absolutely fucked. And this is all because of an awkward kiss."  
R: "It sounds pretty stupid when you put it like that."  
~

  
  
_Offering_  
R: "...you unmitigated  _ass_ , Gendo Ikari." She muttered, echoing.  
M: "Great.  _This_  is the same." She gritted through teeth, simmering with rage at the defilement of her Sempai. "Out of all the  _shit_  Gainax could keep, they keep  _this._ "  
R: "It would be something  _he_  would do, at the very least. Bastard he was. In this world  _and_  the disc's world."  
M: "...I should've cut off his manhood with a  _spoon,_  when I had the chance."  
R: "The only consolation there is to this shit is that it was to protect Rei from exactly this. Plus, I'm sure Misato would've mutilated Gendo all the same, had I told her."  
M: "You  _still_  hadn't told her about that?"  
R: "And have her dig up Gendo's grave just so she could  _shit on his bones_?"  
M: "Would  _anyone_  really complain?"  
R: "I'm sure Yui  _might_ , though if we told her what Gendo  _did._ "  
M: "And have Unit-01 go berserk?"  
R: "At the very least, Misato  _doesn't_  know. Therefore the others wouldn't know. Therefore Yui shouldn't get  _too_ angry at the revelation, come next sync test."  
M: "You  _do_  know the law of cosmic irony dictates she'll go berserk now."  
~

  
  
_Restraint_  
R: "...I don't think she handled it as well as I did."  
M: "Considering you  _still_  longed for Gendo at this stage, maybe the revelation he gave you away like you were an object went to your head."  
R: "...i wouldn't doubt it." She sighed. "I can't believe Misato has to hold me at gunpoint."  
M: "Obviously this never happened."  
R: "Obviously. Once she became Commander, I showed her around Terminal. Much more civil affair, considering no one was  _held at gunpoint_."  
~

  
  
_Graveyard_  
Maya gagged at the sight.  
R: "That was Misato's reaction as well. It's a pretty horrifying affair, but there isn't many places you can store failed Evangelion prototypes."  
M: "Still though, I'm glad I never had to see it in my trips down to Terminal."  
~

  
  
_Tank Girl_  
M: "...the tank is still there?"  
R: "...this is what dummy plugs use. Soulless dolls. I understand why Rei didn't want to reactivate it."  
M: "...it wasn't you who sabotaged it though."  
R: "...no. Even after that shit he put me through. But I can see why  _she_  would do so. Petty revenge against Gendo. If it wasn't destroyed before,  _I_  probably would've done so as well."  
M: "...I imagine Rei wouldn't mind."  
R: "She wouldn't. Especially after the pain she and everyone else had to go through after Armisael."

  
  
M: "So both you  _and_  your mother got shafted by an Ikari."  
R: "In both senses, yes. Though at least  _I_  came to my senses."  
M: "No wonder why so many people use his desk."  
~~~

**_The Beginning and the End, or 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door'_**  
  
There were tissues scattered all over the table.  
M: "...where to start with this fucked up episode."  
R: "From the top I suppose. I knew Asuka would try something like that."  
M: "...i can't believe she actually got to such a state."  
R: "After that gutpunch of an opening, what with finding out about Kaji and not being able to pilot her Eva anymore. I'm honestly not surprised she would attempt such a thing."  
M: "...i didn't know she found her mother like  _that_. I knew what happened to her mother but i didn't know Asuka  _found_  her like that..."  
R: "...now you know why she was like what she was. Same as Shinji. He had to experience something similar as well."  
M: "...Speaking of Shinji, having to kill Kaworu like that... that would've utterly destroyed him."  
R: "Especially since Kaworu was coming onto him. And being the only friend he had at this stage, considering everyone would've evacuated already."  
M: "...and you're just rotting away in a prison cell."  
R: "While Gendo and SEELE continued to put their plans into action. I wasn't needed at all."  
M: "Speaking of SEELE, how the hell did their monoliths appear around Kaworu?"  
Ritsuko shrugged. "Nephilim powers? Rei and Kaworu can do some pretty weird stuff."  
~

  
  
**_Do you love me?_**  
M: "...what the hell was that?"  
R: "Instrumentality, it seems."  
M: "...I didn't understand  _anything_. Did you Sempai?"  
The Sempai shrugged. "Instrumentality wasn't exactly taught in Met Bio. Considering it was pretty much only in those damned scrolls of SEELE's. Maybe this was their way of showing the merging of the world's souls or something like that."  
M: "And reusing footage?"  
R: "A cynical person would say they were running out of money or time."  
M: "Surely a show involving us would have a decent budget."  
R: "Even with a low budget, you can make works of art."  
M: "...though reusing footage like this  _does_  make it look cheap."  
~

  
  
**_Take care of yourself._**  
R: "Huh. So all this was Shinji trying to convince himself to be a better person."  
M: "I mean, considering the world has ended, I would think it was a bit too late at this point."  
R: "In that case, maybe it was him coming to terms with Instrumentality. Considering you probably won't be able to undo something like that."  
M: "...why was Shinji at the centre of Instrumentality anyway? Was he given control or something?"  
R: "They didn't tell us anything. About the only thing we know is that it happened sometime 2016."  
M: "Which fits, admittedly. But that leaves us with so many more questions than answers."  
R: "Of course, considering they had to resort to using  _storyboards_  and  _photographs_  to fill in the time, they probably  _couldn't_ explain Instrumentality fully with the time or budget they had."  
M: "They probably used most of it in that light hearted universe Shinji created. Speaking of which, that other universe was so damn tame."  
R: "It's downright  _boring_ , but with what this Shinji went through, maybe he just wanted something similar to a normal life."  
M: "Makes sense I suppose. Still though, this was meant to be the finale for the series right? I probably wouldn't like it that much, if it was a TV show I was particularly into."  
Ritsuko shrugged. "We still have the movie they made, which seems to run parallel to this finale."  
~~~

 

**_EOE: Love is Destructive (UNABRIDGED)_ **

_I'm so fucked up_  
M: "...Gods damn it, Shinji."  
R: "He would've been mad at himself."  
M: "I wouldn't doubt it.  _Our_  Shinji would've never done this to her.  _This_  Shinji though..."  
R: "He's right. He's so broken at this point he's desperate to feel  _something_. Obviously that didn't work though."  
M: "...you think he's gonna end up like Asuka?"  
R: "I hope not, considering we still have the start of the SEELE war to deal with."  
M: "...oh yeah. That's not gonna go well."  
~

  
  
_A-801_  
R: "Yep. Sounds like  _they're_  gonna go to war as well."  
M: "We weren't this unprepared though, were we?"  
R: "Considering Kaji's _dead_ , and I'm _imprisoned_ , and _none_ of the Eva's are deployed while we already had  _3_  on the surface."  
M: "...things are gonna go even more badly then, aren't they?"  
R: "...probably. Gendo you arrogant bastard." She echoed.  
~

  
  
_Isolated_  
M: "Shinji looks dead inside..."  
R: "...I'm certain at this point, he would be seeking death, like Asuka was..."  
Maya averted her eyes at the violence. "Why did they do this..."  
R: "...SEELE threatened their families, you realise. They  _had_  to do this."  
Maya winced at her own terror. "...why am I still at my station. Didn't you spirit me away to Terminal at this point?"  
R: "...I know how averse you are to violence like that. And... considering the fact you probably  _would've_  had to... kill them."  
M: "...i still had to kill."  
~

  
  
_Terminate on Sight_  
M: "Damn, Misato." She said in an impressed manner, despite the gore. Though it helps they were gonna kill Shinji.  
R: "She's such a mother to them."  
M: "It helps she has military training I suppose. I'm glad Shinji didn't have to die like that though."  
They watched as a  _single_  N bomb was dropped on the Geofront.  
M: "...okay, we can say with complete conviction that that  _didn't_  happen."  
R: "I'm sure we would know if we were  _nuked_. All they really did was deploy a few N2 mines, but they weren't really that effective due to the whole Evangelion business."  
M: "And thank the Gods for that. It would've become a battle of attrition at that point."  
R: "It already was, honestly. All we had were the Evangelions and forewarning."  
~

  
  
_Birth by Sleep_  
M: "Damn, Asuka! Go berserk on them!"  
R: "The show's Asuka has never been this happy."  
M: "I think our Asuka realised her mother was always watching over her earlier on, considering the spike in sync rates.  _This_ Asuka must've only  _just_  realised it."  
R: "About time. Though considering she'll now have to face the MP-Eva. Alone."  
M: "...she wouldn't know how to neutralise them, would she?"  
R: "Considering it took luck and 3 Evangelions in the first place to defeat them."  
M: "Well, it's probably less luck and more logic."  
R: "Makes sense though. Considering they could regenerate and reactivate, makes sense to go for the dummy plug. Pretty smart of Misato."  
~

  
  
_A Mother's Sacrifice_  
R: "...fuck."  
Maya gasped. "...she-"  
R: "It looked like a gut shot. If she got medical attention... she won't though, not at this stage..." She shook her head as she gave the foregone conclusion.  
M: "...she'll die then."  
R: "...it appears so. Gods damn it Misato..."  
Maya curled up into her Sempai, who wrapped her arm around her.  
R: "...thing is, I don't think Misato would've minded seeing her die like this."  
M: "...she really is a mother to them."  
R: "...she would still sacrifice herself, if it meant her 'children' could live. She would do anything to save them."  
M: "...you'd do the same for me, would you?"  
R: "...yeah. Like I almost had to do."  
She held her tighter.  
~

  
  
_Lilith_  
M: "...I can see why you attempted to destruct the facility."  
R: "...you can see how desperate I was. Considering what was happening."  
M: "...I can understand that."  
R: "...even though it also failed in this world."  
A gun fired.  
M: "n...- no..." She whimpered, desperately trying to maintain composure. "...why." She couldn't.  
Ritsuko bundled her up, holding her tight, attempting to power through her own struggles with the memories. "...it's ok Maya."  
  
"...why wasn't I there...?" She continued sobbing.  
  
"...shhh... Maya, I'm here." She continued comforting her.  
  
Her sobbing only increased as she heard her own horrified screaming at Asuka's demise.  
  
"...she didn't go for the plugs."  
  
"...why is everyone dying? w- was this really how things could've gone?"  
  
"...potentially." She sighed, holding her closer. "Not even you were safe from this, Maya..."  
  
"...what about you Sempai? I know how much you struggle with... what happened in Terminal."  
  
"...having you to talk about it has helped. But it sounds like  _you're_  also struggling with what happened. Down there."  
  
Maya grew quiet, choked sobs cutting through.  
  
"...tell me, Maya. I told you of my problems related to what happened. You can trust me."  
  
"...i- i killed, Ritsuko..."  
  
"...it was to save me though, wasn't it?"  
  
"...t- that's how i justify it to- to myself, to... try to convince myself it was the right thing to do, even... considering out of all the people in the world, it was... him. but... i st-  _still_  have nightmares about it. even when i'm being held by you."  
  
"...and you didn't tell me about this." Hand ran through the brunette hair of her Kohai  
  
"no. i... i don't  _want_  to recall it. i wish i never  _had_  to do it, but... i had to."  
  
Ritsuko held her tighter. "It's ok Maya... you did what you had to do..."  
  
She kept crying.  
~~~

  
  
"...Maya."  
  
"...i'm... ok. I'm- i'm ok."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
She nodded. "yeah." She wiped some tears with her Sempai's shirt. "Sorry I... I didn't get that out there earlier."  
  
"It's alright." Eyes locked. "I should've known the full extent on how... doing that would've affected you."  
  
"...I- I don't know if I can ever get over doing that..."  
  
"I know... I understand completely. Out of  _all_  the people though."  
  
"...yeah. Considering... what he did to you..." She burrowed her head. "...there's still another part to go, isn't there?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
She sighed. "We're almost done with this then. Lets... let’s just continue watching it."  
  
"...you sure you don't wanna take a breather, Maya?"  
  
She nodded. "Once we're done with these discs, I want you to hold me through the night, okay?"  
  
"...We still have those  _other_  discs to go through as well, you know."  
  
"...hopefully  _they'll_  be better than these."  
  
"…I doubt it."  
~~~

 

**_EOE: ONE MORE FINAL (UNABRIDGED)_ **

_Complementation_  
M: "...I didn't know he had Adam in his hand."  
R: "He's attempting to merge Adam and Lilith. And take control of Instrumentality."  
M: "...this is what he would've done had we not stopped him, right?"  
R: "...yes. Of course there's also SEELE's plan."  
~

  
  
_Kabbalah_  
M: "...So  _that's_  why they had the MP-Eva."  
R: "I believe Third Impact is at hand. They're activating their S2 engines for a reason."  
M: "...to display that pattern in Gendo's old office?"  
R: "Knowing SEELE, it probably has some significance in some Abrahamic religion."  
M: "Even a more  _mainstream_  Abrahamic religion would be unknown to most of us though, let alone whatever the hell SEELE followed."  
Ritsuko shrugged. "Most of them  _were_  European after all. They don't exactly have Shinto and Buddhism over there."  
M: "Of course, SEELE seems more like a niche cult than a proper religion."  
They looked on in awe as the Black Moon was released from its Earthly domain.  
R: "...Lilith's egg."  
~

  
  
_Home_  
R: "It's  _really_  satisfying seeing him beg like that." She had a smug smile on her face.  
M: "Definitely. But Rei could've done that ages ago."  
R: " _Our_  Rei maybe, but this Rei. Maybe she thought, if she could take control of Instrumentality, she could create a better outcome than if Gendo were to control it."  
M: "Makes sense. Just about anyone could make a better scenario than him."  
~

  
  
_Melanin_  
M: "...is she giving control to Shinji?"  
R: "Is it even Rei at this point?"  
M: "Well, if Rei merged with Adam and Lilith, it's possible she took control. I suppose."  
R: "Do you think giving Shinji control on whether the world lives or dies is a good idea?"  
M: " _Fuck_  no, not  _this_  Shinji.  _This_  Shinji's sanity levels are so  _low_ , the value representing it has  _underflowed_. His destrudo is dangerously high, he desires nothing but death at this point, and he thinks the whole world hates him. He's gonna end it all, and take the whole world with him."  
R: "...a grim speculation."  
M: "A justified speculation though. Considering what this Shinji has been through."  
~

  
  
_Sandcaste_  
R: "Back to the metaphysical."  
M: "...Gainax really likes their symbolism, don't they?"  
R: "Sometimes to explain some abstract concepts, you have to use analogy and symbolic meaning. Especially when it's something as mind boggling as Instrumentality."  
M: "...how would the merging of all souls work anyway, if we're all so different from one another. I would think it'd be like to put together an impossible puzzle."  
R: "One thing that was speculated about Instrumentality was that it would also result in the loss of individual identity. Without the AT Field, you would just have a wandering soul and a puddle of LCL."  
M: "...so remove the AT Field, and you already remove their identity, allowing them to merge with one another?"  
R: "Yes. From what I've studied at least. Metaphysical Biology is still a relatively new and largely unexplored subject, compared to other traditional subjects such as Physics or Chemistry."  
M: "...how would you even remove the AT Field anyway? Kaworu said in his episode that it was 'a sacred barrier that none may trespass on'."  
Ritsuko thought. "We know from Second Impact that  _Anti-_ AT Fields are possible. Something that can collapse the AT Field. It would require a high amount of energy however."  
M: "Energy that 9 S2 engines and Lilith could create?"  
R: "Most definitely."  
~

  
  
_No Reply_  
Ritsuko closed her eyes, and sighed. "I'm sure Shinji would've been utterly beside himself at this."  
M: "...considering it showed him... doing that."  
R: "...this will be the straw that breaks the camel's back."  
M: "...so he  _will_  end the world."

  
_Why are you here?_  
R: "...yes. At the very least, we can see how the world would've ended."  
M: "...least it's  _that_  world where everything went wrong, instead of  _our_  world."  
~

  
  
_Infinite Zero_  
M: "Wait a minute, how the hell do the Magi have programming to register and monitor the  _Geofront ascending to space_?"  
R: "...well, I didn't know that. And I'm the damn master administrator."  
M: "Something your mother programmed in?"  
R: "Maybe, though considering there is almost no scenario where the Geofront would ascend into space."  
M: "Other than Instrumentality."  
R: "...well, that just shows how prepared NERV was then. We should probably do a codebase audit of the Magi."  
M: "Isn't that pretty much impossible though? Considering the Magi can pretty much dynamically adapt and program themselves based on outside events?"  
Ritsuko facepalmed. "Of course, they probably  _weren't_  programmed with such code. They merely sensed that,  _somehow_ , the Geofront was ascending to space, and decided to monitor it, due to its perceived importance."  
M: "Still though, that's  _very_  impressive of the Magi. Even after all this time, it still surprises me with what it can do."  
R: " _I'm_  impressed it could do such a thing. And I helped create the damn thing!"  
Maya thought and started laughing. "The world's ending and all we can talk about is the computers."  
This caused her Sempai to crack up as well. "Even though we shouldn't really be laughing at such an event, considering it could've happened to us."  
~

  
  
_Tumbling Down_  
R: "Yep. Everyone's gone to the rapture."  
M: "...man, I don't know how I could've handled this."  
R: "...at least  _you_  had a last little moment of happiness before you were taken."  
M: "...it wasn't really you though, was it?"  
R: "I... don't know? Might've been. Who knows at this point. You accepted it better than Shigeru at least..."  
M: "...we never even got together in this reality, did we?"  
R: "...yeah. By the looks of it, you went unrequited..."  
Maya scooted closer.  
~

  
  
_Tumbling Down_  
M: "So  _now_  he admits how much of a crappy person he was."  
R: "Even though he  _still_  got to be with Yui again."  
M: "...that was all he wanted, wasn't it?"  
R: "...yeah. Kinda puts all he did in perspective, doesn't it?"  
M: "...and now he's been robbed of that..."  
R: "...don't blame yourself, Maya. You did what you had to do."  
M: "...i know..."  
~

  
  
_Tumbling Down_  
The base Earth was flooded with the primordial ooze of life, yadda yadda yadda.  
M: "...holy shit."  
R: "It's rather beautiful, isn't it?"  
M: "If you could consider such a thing beautiful. Even though it's depicting a world similar to  _our_  world ending, I have to admit it's probably the best cinematography I've seen."  
R: "Seems rather odd to consider; the world is ending and yet it creates imagery that could rival movies in its splendour."  
~

  
  
_Beyond Alive_  
M: "...I'm lost."  
R: "I think he's experiencing everyone's emotions and memories. So, godhood."  
The movie transitioned to live action.  
R: "...huh. That's a pretty uncanny representation of Tokyo-3."  
Maya looked through the cover of the disc. "Copyright 1997 though."  
R: "As I said,  _uncanny_. They probably used CG or something like that."  
M: "...looking  _that_  uncanny though?"  
R: "CG's been in film. Hell, before Second Impact, there were places making  _fully_  CG films."  
M: "Not looking  _that_  realistic though."  
R: "Maybe they had one of those fancy SGI machines or something. They're probably the most powerful consumer computers you could get back then."  
M: "Even  _nowadays_  those machines are still the most powerful ones consumers could get their hands on. Even  _then_ , it's rarely the  _consumer_  that buys those machines, it's the  _business_. Mainly cause they cost  _10 million yen_.  _Each_."  
R: "Hence why NERV doesn't have  _any_  of their machines, although I think Aida got his hands on a SGI machine, judging by the packet traces."  
M: " _Aida_? How on Earth could he  _afford_  such a machine?"  
She shrugged. "He has his ways. Probably a second hand, lower end machine he had to fix up. Maybe he found it in a trash bag in an alleyway like every other damn thing we seem to find. It's noted on his file he likes things like that; computers and technology, mainly of a military spec. Could probably tutor him as a programmer in the future, if he never becomes a pilot."  
M: "I'll always be your Kohai though, right?"  
R: "Of course Maya." She messed her Kohai's hair. "And here we are, talking about computers again."  
M: "Well, it's what we do."  
~

  
  
_Unravel_  
M: "...so Shinji ends the world, decides it isn't right, and reverses it."  
R: "Sounds kinda asinine when you put it that way."  
M: "I mean, it kinda is. He's already gone that far."  
R: "So might as well keep going and see what happens?"  
M: "I suppose. At least  _now_  he understands that life is not just meant to be all sunshine and rainbows."  
R: "Shame he only realised this  _after he ended the world_. And a post-Instrumentality world would definitely  _not_  be sunshine and rainbows."  
M: "Considering all life would've been raptured or otherwise eradicated by that Anti-AT Field, if Second Impact was any indication."  
~

  
  
_I need you._  
R: "I was right. Rei said people could return, but I don't know anyone who would want to return to a world like this. Especially considering Instrumentality was meant to be a world completely void of any pain."  
M: "...Asuka did though."  
R: "...though to be fair, she suffered such a brutal death at the hands of the MP-Eva."  
M: "...I'm glad I didn't see that."  
Ritsuko shook her head. "They've been through so much, judging by those blank stares..."  
M: "...he  _still_  chokes her?"  
R: "...i think he's trying to see if she was real. hence why he broke down when Asuka reacted like that..."  
~~~

 

"...that's it?" Maya muttered.  
  
"Well. That ending left me with more questions than answers."  
  
"Like what the hell happens next?"  
  
"We probably won't ever know, honestly. Unless those other discs  _we_  found had answers."  
  
"I don't think they will. Considering the opening scene of the first foreign disc and the first Laserdisc was pretty similar."  
  
"Though even in that opening scene there's some discernible differences. I think it'll more of a reinterpretation of this story."  
  
"Well then." Ritsuko said. "That's gonna be interesting to watch in the context of  _these_  discs then. See how they screwed things up again."  
  
"Surely it couldn't get worse than  _the end of the world_."  
  
She shrugged. "You never know."  
~~~

  
_"Beginning sync tests."_  Ritsuko announced over the radio, running the Magi program before turning aside to Misato, keeping her voice down so as to not spill information to the other uninformed personnel present. "Those things you found are _really_ fucked up, you know."  
  
"How do you think  _we_  felt? We _often_ had to take breaks, just because they were  _that_  overwhelming."  
  
"I can understand that, considering  _we_  had to cool ourselves off from it as well." She observed the monitor. Shinji's sync ratio was fluctuating slightly, but it was within acceptable parameters. "How do you think they got here in the first place?"  
  
She shrugged. "As I said, Shinji found it in a trash bag one day, then we watched it. Can't really say much, other than they are almost certainly from another universe."  
  
"That sounds eerily similar to how Maya found the foreign discs."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yeah Commander," Maya began, joining in on the conversation. "I was doing mine and Ritsuko's laundry, and when I was walking back to the Geofront train, I found them in a trash bag."  
  
"...huh. And Aida found whatever those DVDs were in a trash bag too."  
  
"Once is accidental, twice is happenstance. Thrice is a pattern." Ritsuko spoke. "Something must be causing these anomalous materials to appear in our world."  
  
"...we know  _now_  that the MP-Evangelion arrive to Earth from Mars or wherever the hell they come from using a Dirac Sea. Could  _they_  be causing it?" Maya submitted her theory for the roundtable to consider.  
  
"How would the anomalous material get to Earth from a Dirac Portal in space though?" Ritsuko thought aloud, nibbling on a pen.  
  
"...what's the possibility of  _smaller_  wormholes opening up?" The commander contemplated her coffee. "It's safe to assume it takes a ton of energy to open up a Dirac Portal. Maybe the side effect of that is the transportation of this material from one world to another, through smaller Dirac Portals situated between  _our_  Earth and a number of  _other_  potential Earths?"  
  
"A possibility to consider," Ritsuko was writing down notes, "though it's impossible to predict when and where the next anomalous material will surface. And who knows if it'll even be intercepted by NERV at that point, considering we didn't know of Aida's discs until he told us about them during that dinner." She noted mentally to put a bug on his computer, just in case he somehow managed to read those DVDs.  
  
"And if they  _are_  indeed linked to the Dirac Portals of the MP-Eva, then it'll be impossible to fully monitor for any anomalous materials, because we'd be too busy  _fighting_  the MP-Eva to care about something like that." Maya stood by the window and observed Unit-01, coffee in hand.  
  
"A fair assumption Maya." Ritsuko finished her notes, ripping out the page and handing it to Misato. "We know what frequencies the portals release, from what ELIZA could detect. I suggest we manufacture sensors that we could place around Tokyo-3. That way we could at least passively detect if there's any anomaly around  _our_  territory."  
  
Misato looked over the notes the sub-commander took. "It won't help if there's any anomaly  _outside_  of Tokyo-3 though."  
  
"The world practically  _revolves_  around this Gods forsaken place anyway, Misato. Odds are it'll happen here."  
  
"Fair enough. I'll look over these designs and I'll get them submitted to R&D by next week."  
  
A klaxon. The technicians turned to their terminals. "Sync rate of Unit-01 is fluctuating! It's rising and falling but we're losing the pattern!" Makoto announced.  
  
"What?" Ritsuko went for the radio, silently rueing Murphy.  _"Shinji, what's wrong in there?"  
  
"GET. OUT. OF. MY. HEAD!"_  
  
"Cut the neural connections." Misato calmly stated, hiding her worry.  
  
He sent the command. "Negative, command isn't being accepted!" Another klaxon. "Unit-01 is going berserk!"  
  
"God damn it Yui... eject the plug and cut the power. Increase LCL pressure to maximum and watch his vitals, we need to cushion him from the impact."  
  
The emergency glass was smashed and the red handle was pulled, causing the plug to force eject from Unit-01. Shinji's vitals indicated he had fallen unconscious right before the ejection, which was good as the retrorockets of the plug resulted in it flying into the wall and plummeting to the floor, to the cringe of the others.  
  
Unit-01 continued.  
  
"32 seconds to full system shutdown."  
  
Unit-01 broke free of its restraints and careened towards the observation window. But there was something odd. It seemed to be fighting against itself.  
  
"Core activity erratic?!" Ritsuko announced in disbelief, as Unit-01 began to bash against the window.  
  
Right in front of Maya. A mug shattered on the ground.  
  
"Everyone out, now!" Misato ordered the evacuation and everyone heeded her command, as the attack continued. Maya was escorted away by Ritsuko, who was holding a portable terminal by its screen.  
  
"15 seconds." She remained unflapped through it all. This wasn't the first time there was a berserker event.  
  
Unit-01 eventually pulled away from the window and, under the last dregs of her power, appeared to make a...  _despondent_ sound? Like she only just realised what happened.  
  
Unit-01 knelt down, seemingly ashamed, and deactivated. 2 seconds of power was all that remained.  
  
The staff cautiously entered the room, now a trashed wreck. The regular glow of the fluorescents were replaced by harsh red strobe. The terminals were smoking, popping messes, like a Federation starship during a particularly harsh battle. Broken glass and coffee cups were scattered all over the floor.  
  
Ritsuko bashed the bottom panel of her desk open to reveal the emergency radio.  _"Asuka, Hikari, we're cancelling the sync test. There's been a berserker incident with Unit-01."  
  
"Oh God, is Shinji alright?"  
  
"He's unconscious but his vitals are stable and he appears uninjured. We're not sure of the cause as of now; his sync rate fluctuated rapidly during the incident, and core activity was highly erratic too."  
  
"...I swear if Yui did anything to him, I will climb into Unit-01's core and kick her ass myself."_ She said her goodbyes to her mother and ejected, as did Hikari.  
  
Rei and Kaworu looked on.  
~~~

  
  
Meanwhile, Misato ran in desperation towards the steaming plug of Shinji. She powered through the burning of her hands and opened the emergency hatch, the blood warm LCL bursting out and pooling around her feet. "SHINJI?!"  
  
Shinji stirred, retching up LCL before taking _several_ deep breaths. "...M-Misato? Y-you-"  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"...i'm- i'm not injured, I thi-"  
  
She had already scurried into the plug and wrapped him in a hug. "I'm so glad you're alright Shinji..."  
  
It took Shinji a few seconds to process what happened, the pounding headache didn't help matters. He eventually reciprocated her hug. "...thanks Misato... your hands..."  
  
"...as long as you're alright... do you want to tell me what happened?"  
  
"...there's someone else in there. With my mother."  
  
"...do you know who, Shinji?"  
  
"...father."

* * *

 


	2. Rebuild 1.11

* * *

"So, how the hell am I meant to get this working on my computer?"  
  
The elder Aida shrugged. "I only requisitioned the thing. Last drive they had in stock, according to them. I don't think many computers nowadays would _support_ DVD anyway, since it's a bit of a dead standard."  
  
Kensuke looked over the plastic box, essentially just an external caddy for an otherwise internal drive. "Guess I'll just have to find code for it."  
  
"If it even works on that Silicon of yours."  
  
"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Thanks again Pops, I owe you one."  
  
"Don't mention it, kid." He messed Kensuke's hair, and made his leave. "Consider it a late birthday gift."  
  
Kensuke inspected the drive further. Firewire. This was good, his computer had a 1394 port that worked sometimes.  
  
So, he did what anyone would do, and connected it to his machine. The drive powered up but nothing happened system side.  
  
"Keh. I knew it wouldn't do anything."  
  
The modem buzzed as he logged. He imagined it would take a good while before the drive would work. But he was determined. It took him  _months_  and a majority of his part time work to get this Gods forsaken computer he found by a corporate skip bin working again. But considering its specs, it was better than any other consumer computer on the market; even with the odd architecture requiring Kensuke to either find specialised software on some long forgotten web server, or begging on ja.comp.sys.sgi for something, or to actually  _code_  for it. Considering it was a  _pre_ -2I machine as well, that was saying a lot about the absolute state of the post-2I consumer market.  
  
But stagnating markets were not his concern at the moment. What  _was_  his concern, was finding a driver for this device, somewhere on the wild wild net. Maybe Usenet had something. Gods forbid he had to code a driver for it. And  _then_  he'd have to find the right player for it,  _or_  code-  
  
Arms wrapped around him, breaking his train of thought with a fright. "Whatcha tinkering with now, Ken?"  
  
He nuzzled into Kyoko. "Dad gave me  _this_  thing, it's something I can use to see what's on those discs we found."  
  
"Huh. Sweet."  
  
" _If_  I can get it working."  
  
"Less sweet. Ya got that trashcan of a computer working though, ya should be able to get  _that_  working, Ken."  
  
"We'll see Kyoko. We'll see." He looked around. "Where's Sayaka?"  
  
"Shopping. She wanted to try her hand at cooking something tonight."  
  
"How d'ya think she'll go?"  
  
"She set off the smoke alarm making toast, Ken." She deadpanned. "It might suck but we'll still eat it, cause we love her, don't we?"  
  
He chuckled. "Yeah."  
~~~

  
  
Asuka held Shinji. He was oddly calm. "So he's alive."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"...How the hell did he even get into the core anyway?" An incredulous Asuka queried, still holding.  
  
"Working theory is his soul somehow ended up there." Ritsuko was looking over a whiteboard, scattered with various information. "At least that son of a bitch got what he wanted in the end. No offence, Shinji."  
  
He shrugged. "I know. He doesn't really have a great name around here."  
  
" _That's_  the understatement of the decade." Asuka deadpanned. "So Shinji's alright, Doc?"  
  
"Yeah. He may have a bit of bruising here and there, but he's all good."  
  
Shinji looked around the room. "...where's Maya?"  
  
"...she's... sleeping. She didn't react well to the berserker event, not to mention she was injured."  
  
Silent acknowledgement between the pilots. "May we make our leave then?"  
  
Ritsuko nodded. "You two are dismissed. I think you have a debrief Shinji."  
  
They made their leave.  
  
Ritsuko stared at the whiteboard.  
  
She flung it to the floor in wavering anger, ditching the marker at it. " _Damn_  you, Gendo Ikari!" She kicked it. "Damn you to hell!"  
  
No one hurts her Kohai. Maya was currently sedated in a ward and Ritsuko was still busy working, trying to understand exactly  _what_  happened. She wanted so  _badly_  to be with her, but Gods damn there's just some things you  _can't_  ignore. Like the former commander somehow ending up in the core of one of the Evangelions.  
  
She kept kicking in impotent rage against him.  
  
Rei and Kaworu watched on from the open doorway. "Is this a bad time, Doctor?"  
  
Ritsuko turned to the doorway, frozen, seeing the two Nephilim witnessing her breakdown.  
  
"...no, it's fine. Come in."  
  
They closed the door behind them, as Ritsuko sheepishly put the whiteboard back up. "We knew, Ritsuko."  
  
She took a seat and lit up, taking a drag before replying. "...when did you find out?"  
  
"Remember during a previous sync test, my rate fluctuated slightly?"  
  
"...did she tell you then?"  
  
"Yes, because I determined there was another presence. She told me not to tell anyone. Was her 'project', she said."  
  
"... _project_."  
  
Rei shrugged. "I don't know for sure, but considering what she found about the discs through Shinji and I."  
  
"She wouldn't even  _think_  of hurting him, even if he did deserve it. She loves him too much."  
  
"...I think he'd do it to himself, if that would happen. I didn't have the greatest glimpse of his light when I found it, but it was weak. Faded. Like it had been wandering for a while. If Yui was a beacon, he was but a candle, close to its end of its wick."  
  
Ritsuko thought. "His soul would've been weakened  _before_  he found a way into the core. You two know how the wandering soul works, right?"  
  
"We may not have a degree in Metaphysical Biology, but we know innately about the mechanics of the soul, due to our nature." Kaworu gave his two cents. "A wandering soul, a soul with no AT-Field, can be for however long their constitution dictates, but eventually they are called to rebirth. It's one of the many natural process of this world, such as the water cycle or the Lunar phases."  
  
"Which is how life goes on, despite death." Ritsuko recalled her education. "It still doesn't explain how he found a way into Unit-01 though. And in this supposedly weakened state."  
  
"I know better than anyone how the wandering soul works." Spoke Rei. "A core can capture a soul. We know this empirically. A core could store multiple souls. We _also_ know this empirically. You have devices to find and salvage wandering souls. And  _I_  know that the wandering soul has some autonomy. It tries to seek out somewhere, something, seemingly significant to it. Eventually it would be drawn to rebirth, one way or another. Either by finding a new shell, as I did, or a new life."  
  
"Can they resist that process?"  
  
"It weakens the constitution, but yes, they could resist. It's ultimately a futile endeavour however; eventually they will become so weak that they cannot resist rebirth. I believe his soul was resistive, unaccepting of his death. Hence his weaker light."  
  
Ritsuko snuffed out the cigarette and rummaged through a cupboard. "...can you see them? Wanderers, I mean?" She bought out a machine, appearing like a waist worn oscilloscope attached via a thick cable to a PDA with wide antenna. "You already know of the Recovery Device. It's what we used when we salvaged your soul."  
  
"I can  _sense_  them. If I concentrate, I  _can_  visualise them." She closed her eyes. There weren't any wandering souls in the vicinity of the Geofront, only the light of others. Ritsuko's machine would've backed this fact up, had it been powered.  
  
"Seeing the light of  _living_  beings is trivial for me, as they have the AT-Field. Wandering souls don't have this. Instead of appearing normally to me, they appear to me like a ball of iridescent light, floating around seemingly aimlessly. I'd liken it to a firefly."  
  
"I cannot see these wandering souls unfortunately. Possibly due to my opposing nature. Whereas even I, with said opposing nature, can see the light of the AT-Field."  
  
Rei became introspective. "I can even commune with them sometimes, depending on their constitution. Give them comfort. Try to get them to accept what happened. Send them to rebirth. It's the least I could do for them."  
  
Ritsuko was taken aback by this. "...that's... very compassionate of you, Rei. There's definitely a surplus of people who met untimely ends who wouldn't accept what happened."  
  
"Like the former commander. I submit that he wandered to Unit-01, something that was important to him, and was taken into it, intentionally or not. What she did with his soul is known only to her. Though I think she lost control of his soul during the berserker event."  
  
"That would explain the erratic core activity, I suppose." More writing on the board. "You think he tried taking control of Unit-01?"  
  
"Potentially, but he was not able to once Ikari found out what he was trying to do. And we can tell  _she_  was upset at the events."  
  
More writing. "I think Yui might not want to sync with Shinji for a bit. You might have to talk to her about this."  
  
"I can do that. I assume there will be a few days’ notice beforehand."  
  
"Yeah. Unit-01's currently in suspension, so it may be a while."  
  
"I'll expect a call in a day then."  
  
Ritsuko rolled her eyes, putting the pen away. "We may work fast, but not  _that_  fast, Rei. I'm gonna go check on Maya. You two can try getting more headway into this." She made her leave, brisk in pace.  
  
Rei and Kaworu investigated the whiteboard, now with a reasonably sized pit in the middle of it.  
  
"I think  _we_  know more than her about this."  
~~~

  
  
Misato shut the door to the room, and turned on the safelight, slumping down against the locked door. "Christ, I need a drink." There  _was_  Napoleonic brandy in Gendo's old office, but God _damn_  does that stuff taste like dirt. Plus, her plea was futile anyway, as she had a policy to  _not_  drink on the job; that was for  _after_  work.  
  
She just mainly needed some peace and quiet. Away from all the paperwork.  
  
She took off her gloves, and looked down at her hands. They were reddened and burned, already beginning to peel in some places. She gripped her hands a few times, brief shards of pain accompanying them.  
  
"God damn it Yui... What the hell are you playing at." She looked up. The photos were developed at this point.  
  
She took them down and put them away. There were questions to be had with the resident soul of Unit-01. Whether or not she answers them though, is unknown.  
  
For now though, maybe it would be good to distract everyone with a movie.  
~~~

  
  
"...I would've expected you to have a stronger reaction to this, Shinji."  
  
"...I was thinking the same thing." He admitted to his partner. "I think I'm just ambivalent to it all."  
  
"Even though it involves him."  
  
He gave a grim chuckle. "Weird, is it? My own father practically hijacked me and tried getting into my head, but I don't really give a damn to it all."  
  
"Well, you could simply be telling yourself that, you realise."  
  
He grew quiet. He scooted closer to her.  
  
"...you  _were_  just telling yourself that, weren't you?" She wrapped her arms around him, cooing. "You baka. It's alright, Shinji."  
  
"...why is he back?"  
  
"I don't know. None of us do. Ritsuko's working her ass off trying to figure out what went wrong, along with stressing about Maya. Rei and Kaworu said they wanted to try help her. Misato's probably drowning in papers, or booze. Or both."  
  
"...and here we are, brooding in the lockers."  
  
She gave him a look. " _You're_  the one brooding, Shinji."  
  
"...Okay,  _I'm_  brooding in the lockers, and you're comforting me."  
  
"...your brooding is fair enough though, I suppose. I know for a fact you  _hate_  him for what he did, to you and us and practically everyone. Maybe your mum was just trying to reintroduce him to you, not knowing the extent of how badly you disliked him."  
  
"...that's possible, I suppose. The conversation we had was... odd, though. He seemed... quiet. Almost simple. I almost felt sorry for him."  
  
"...sounds like he wasn't himself. Death must've been hard on him."  
  
"Not just that though. He became... enraged. It was unlike him. I think he saw something when my mother gave him more autonomy in the Eva, to communicate with me."  
  
"...do you think it was like Unit-00 in the discs?"  
  
Shinji prompted her to explain.  
  
"Well, Unit-00 saw either Gendo or Ritsuko through the observation window. And it went berserk and tried to kill them."  
  
"...so he might've seen someone, and caused the berserker event?"  
  
"That's what I'm thinking."  
  
"Who though?"  
  
"I'm not sure, but we know there were three people down in Terminal Dogma when he met his end. Rei, Ritsuko, and..."  
~~~

  
  
"...Maya?"  
  
Maya stirred. Ritsuko was sat down next to her bed, holding her hand. Her eyes locked with Ritsuko's. "...sempai? you... you waited for me..."  
  
"Of course I did, Maya." She cooed. "You did the same for me."  
  
"...but... you have so much more on your plate... i'm just a technician..."  
  
Ritsuko rested her head on the bed bound Maya. "You're more than that, Maya..."  
  
Maya looked on, wide eyed.  
  
A hand drifted slowly to Ritsuko, resting on her. "...you didn't have to wait for me, Ritsuko... considering what happened. you would've had a lot to deal with..."  
  
Ritsuko gave a few quiet chuckles, quietly revelling at her touch. "Rei and Kaworu know more about what went on than I do anyway."  
  
"...they do? How did they find out?"  
  
"Who knows. Their powers might as well be arbitrary at this point."  
  
That got a few laughs out of the drugged up Kohai. "What can they do now?"  
  
"Seeing wanderers. Though that's more just Rei's thing."  
  
"...wanderers... that's what the PKE meter's for, yeah?"  
  
"Yeah. It's not called that, but yeah."  
  
"...That sounds like something in a book I've read. She sees pyreflies."  
  
"...pyreflies?"  
  
She nodded her bandaged head. "Sparkling light that represents life energy. In this story, when someone dies, they simply don't just do whatever the hell the soul does in our world. Their spirit has to be guided to its final rest, especially if they don't  _want_  to go. You can tell they pretty much mixed a half-baked understanding of Met Bio and folklore, least what I know of the two."  
  
' _Well what do ya know._ ' Thought a bemused Ritsuko. "Continue explaining this mechanic, Maya."  
  
"Okay!" She got cheery, as Ritsuko settled in, still resting on Maya. "So there's these people with powers..."  
~~~

  
  
"...so, kaiju stay in that world based on their own envy of the living, and unsent remain based on their strong will. And someone trained can send them to the afterlife." Ritsuko parsed what Maya explained.  
  
"Yeah. Strong willed dead can manifest themselves into their own image, and stay for an indefinite amount of time."  
  
"...so you can just have dead walking the Earth."  
  
"Yep."  
  
"At least we don't have  _that_. Zombies would just be the cherry on top of the shit sundae that is our world."  
  
"Not  _all_  of them are bad. One of the protagonists is a zombie, as you say." She continued resting her free hand on her Sempai. "Is what Rei doing similar to that?"  
  
"...Sounds like it."  
  
"...are we calling what she sees Pyreflies then?"  
  
Ritsuko chuckled. "I don't see why not. You already call the Recovery Device the PKE meter. Let’s just throw more pop culture references into this paramilitary organisation."  
  
"Aren't you two sweet." Misato announced her presence, causing Ritsuko to shoot up, and Maya to giggle. "You doing alright Maya?"  
  
She nodded. "The drugs helped. Do we know why Unit-01 went berserk?"  
  
"Asuka gave me her theory, that it was like Unit-00 in the Laserdiscs."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Unit- _00_  was potentially triggered into a berserker state by the sight of either Gendo or you, Ritsuko."  
  
"...do you think Unit-01 seeing me triggered the berserk?" Maya murmured.  
  
"...potentially. If Gendo did indeed temporarily assume control of Shinji's Evangelion. We don't know that for sure though; we're not touching Unit-01 for a few days, and Shinji isn't going in that thing for at least a week. Rei and Asuka want to give her a piece of their minds first."  
  
"...There's gonna be fireworks then."  
  
Grim laughter from Ritsuko. "Asuka was livid. She said she was gonna 'climb into its core and kick Yui's ass herself'."  
  
"Sounds just like her." Maya giggled. "So when can I be out of here?"  
  
"The nurses said you can be out of here in a few hours. You might have to go without your Sempai for those few hours though, since there's still a few things on the agenda."  
  
"That's alright Misato. As long as she can pick me up."  
  
"I can arrange that."  
  
"You'll be fine without me, Maya?"  
  
She nodded, smiling. "I'll be fine Sempai. Go do your job." She gave her a kiss.  
  
"Heh, lovebirds. Also, Ritsuko, do you know where Rei and Kaworu got off to? I'm thinking we could watch those weird discs you found later to get our minds off things."  
~~~

  
  
A few hours later, almost everyone was gathered in the lab. Ritsuko had already picked up Maya from the ward, and they were in their seats. Kaji was able to make time once Misato  _convinced_  him.  
  
Rei and Kaworu rushed into the room, having received the commander's call. "What is it Misato?"  
  
"Movie. We're watching it with Ritsuko and Maya, plus everyone else and Kaji. I thought it'd be good to distract ourselves from what happened today."  
  
"Man, you got  _everyone_  here. Must be a good movie." They took their seats in front of some dangerous looking screen.  
  
"Just you wait and see."  
  
The film started.  
  
"...oh you are fucking kidding me."

* * *

 

#  You Are (Not) Alone

**Character Key** **:**

Shinji (S) Asuka (A) 

Rei (Re) Kaworu (Kaw)

Misato (Mi) Kaji (Kaj)

Ritsuko (Ri) Maya (Ma)

 

_Here we go again..._  
  
S: "So it's just the same thing again?"  
Ri: "Red water though. Our seas aren't like that, in fact that's more akin to how the Laserdisc world was after  _Third_  Impact."  
Mi: "And Japan was  _never_  in such a state after Second Impact."  
A: "Who the hell would even draw a chalk outline of that! That looks like a damn Eva, I thought they weren't even  _deployed_  before Sachiel."  
Ri: "They weren't. Least in our world."  
Ma: "At least we know  _immediately_  this world will be different from ours. No blindsiding over halfway through the series."  
Re: "We don't even know if the  _mechanics_  of this world are the same compared to ours. There are so many things that could be different."  
Kaj: "There already are."  
Mi: "A  _colour_  screen in my car? What the fuck, why don't we have that!"  
Ri: "Forgetting the fact colour LCD's are prohibitively expensive, even for us? And  _Renault_  isn't exactly the epitome of luxury either."  
A: "At the very least, this looks a whole lot nicer compared to the Laserdiscs."  
S: "Even compared to  _our own world_ it looks nicer! I never had a cell phone that early!"  
Kaw: "Some things are still the same, at least."  
Rei saw her apparition. "This world is doomed."  
Ma: "Oh don't be pessimistic Rei. Surely these versions of you won't make the same mistakes as last time."  
Literally everyone glared at Maya.  
~

  
  
_Fourth Angel_  
Kaw: "Hello again, Sachiel."  
Mi: "Y'know, not many things are different so far. Considering how much has changed."  
Ri: "If the scrolls are the same, then the order the Angels came in should be similar. Sachiel was the Third."  
A: "Not many things are different? It's pretty much been a shot for shot remake of the show!"  
Ma: "Sachiel never grew a halo though."  
Kaw: "We cannot know of the capabilities of my kin in this rendition. This has already diverged from what we consider prime."  
A: "Good to see the military are still completely useless though. At least that hasn't changed."  
S: "They're  _still_  useless, even while we face the MP-Eva."  
Re: "I don't recall them even  _responding_  during our fights against the MP-Eva anymore."  
Kaj: "Speaking for the UN, they all thought spending taxpayers money on deploying useless hardware against these beasts was a waste. Especially in the aftermath of the invasion of the Geofront. So now instead they're wasting it on other pointless endeavours, like the Indo-Pakistan situation."  
S: "So NERV pretty much has full autonomy in Tokyo-3?"  
Ri: "We already did. The Magi already administrate the city. It only makes sense that we have more power than most other organisations, considering our mission and responsibilities in protecting the world from devastation."  
Ma: "Well,  _more_  devastation."  
~

  
  
_N 2_  
A: "Yep, _that_ was still useless too. Much larger fireball though."  
Kaj: "Wonder if they're making up for the visuals of the Laserdiscs."  
A: "Good! That was one of my many complaints about those frisbees."  
S: "Why would they remake what was already made though?"  
Kaw: "It wasn't Gainax who made this though. Khara."  
Ri: "If Gainax doesn't exist in our world, then I doubt Khara exists too."  
A: "How would they even get the rights to it, if Gainax first made it?"  
Re: "Your thinking is linear, Shinji and Asuka. We don't know if this is from the same Earth as the Laserdiscs."  
Kaw: "And considering the differences between the two so far.  
A: "...oh shit, you're right. This could've come from  _another_  world than the Laserdiscs."  
Ma: "One with apparently more progress. Especially considering they came on those weird discs."  
Mi: "Least my car's still the same. Ish."  
S: "Our conversation wasn't like that though, was it? This one feels more... abridged?"  
Mi: "Yeah, it does. Though we don't really know what'll be different now. That'll just be one of the many small changes in this odd world."  
~

  
  
_Regenerate_  
A: "…Wait a minute,  _fourth_?"  
Mi: "What the hell? Even the  _Angels_  are different?"  
Ri: "Or an Angel was added. In our world, there's Adam and Lilith, then there was Sachiel."  
Kaj: "Another progenitor, maybe?"  
Ma: "Does Adam or Lilith even  _exist_  in that world?"  
Ri: "Second Impact obviously occurred in that rendition, though I daresay  _our_  Second Impact was  _tame_  compared to this one's."  
Re: "Considering our oceans never turned to blood red."  
S: "Though you can't really call something like  _Second Impact_  tame, no matter the world."  
Kaw: "...they speak of the Fruits this early."  
Mi: "That isn't our damn logo. What is that even meant to be?"  
Ma: "The leaf is still there. Not sure of the other elements. An... egg, maybe?"  
Mi: "...Rits, make sure you get a few captures of this film when you have time. I think we can get some decent things from it."  
Ri: "...you intend on changing our logo to that? It looks more cluttered."  
She shrugged. "I'll get it printed onto something, see if I like it or not."  
Ri: "And when people inevitably question on why you suddenly wanted to change the logo?"  
Mi: "Moment of creativity." She shrugged  
A: "Another thing that's the same is Gendo."  
Ri: "He's still the same son of a bitch he always was."  
~

  
  
_Facility_  
Mi: "...NERV isn't  _that_  industrial. I don't think I  _like_  that aesthetic."  
A: "Looks kinda grim. At least those mile long escalators and hallways are all well lit."  
Maya leant over to her Sempai and whispered, "You still look hot in a swimsuit, Ritsuko."  
She smiled and suggested, "Maybe I'll wear something like that later on."  
Misato rolled her eyes. "Lovebirds."  
Kaj: "Coming from you. No one here can cast the first stone on that matter."  
Mi: "We're probably the most mature of everyone though."  
Kaji raised an eyebrow at her.  
She snickered. "Okay, Ritsuko and Maya are probably the most mature of everyone here."  
Kaw: "...is it just me, or does LCL look more red in this rendition?"  
Re: "...no, that's definitely red, Kaworu."  
S: "It really  _is_  like blood."  
A: "What's wrong with orange? Though I suppose red LCL matches my plugsuit better."  
~

  
  
_Strange and Mournful Day_  
S: "Great. So it looks like I'll  _still_  be booted into the Eva."  
Ri: "I thought it would be foregone, considering the general scenario has been similar so far."  
A: "And your dad's  _still_  as cold as a witch's ass."  
S: "Some things never change..."  
Kaw: "I'm sure there's worlds where he's decent."  
A: "This is the  _third_  of those worlds we've experienced, including  _ours_. He's currently 3 for 3 on the asshole meter."  
Shinji sighed. "At least we know for sure that these people aren't us."  
Kaj: "Indeed. They may look and sound like us, but they will  _not_  be us."  
Mi: "It's still gonna make us feel like shit when we see us get shafted though."  
S: "Like me getting shafted right now."  
Ri: "Considering the situation, your trepidation was somewhat understandable. Even though you  _still_  had to do it regardless, cold it may sound."  
Shinji shrugged. "Watching these things kinda gave me perspective on how I was, but considering what I've been through."  
Kaw: "...So that means he will  _still_  use blackmail on you, won't it?"  
S: "Probably."  
Rei rolled in.  
S: "Yes."  
Steam emanated from Kaworu.  
Re: "Will you combust like you did last time?"  
Kaw: "...no. I think."  
Ma: "...i can see why that would make you angry, Kaworu."  
Kaw: "I'm glad he's gone."  
Maya became pensive.  
~

  
  
_Sortie_  
This pensiveness was broken. "What the hell  _is_  that graphic?"  
Ri: "Plug depth. Though it looks much more advanced compared to our own display systems."  
Ma: "If by advanced you mean more  _frivolous_. Why would you need  _3D graphics_  for an organisation like us?"  
Ritsuko shrugged. "Maybe Khara wanted to show off their capabilities, make it looks more futuristic."  
Mi: "Even though NERV is as futuristic as you can get on this Earth."  
A: " _That_  world must be set in damn  _2050_  then."  
Kaw: "They definitely have had more work put into technology like that. It is possible Second Impact could take place at a later time, I suppose. We haven't been given a solid date yet, to my knowledge."  
Re: "If the mechanics of Second Impact even apply to this world. And I would assume the general timeline would be similar, despite the changes."  
Mi: " _Why_  do you need 3D graphics to show the  _locks disengaging?_  What a complete waste of computing power!"  
S: "I would've though the Magi would be able to do something like that."  
Ri: "They could. 3D graphics are simply a collection of polygons on a cartesian plane, which is just relatively simple geometry. You could display 3D shapes on a damn  _Famicom_ if you wanted to. But it's not the computers that would be the problem in this situation, it's the  _screens_. The graphics are of an absurdly high quality for what they need to do, our displays wouldn't be able to handle such things."  
Kaj: "Though that could just be the video. And something else I noticed, NERV keeps switching between our logo and the other logo."  
A: "Even  _with_  all this extra cash, Gainax  _still_  can't get some details right."  
Kaw: "Khara." He corrected.  
Asuka rolled her eyes. "Khara then. Damn it, I'm gonna have to rewire a few things in my head."  
~

  
  
_Battle_  
S: "Good to see  _this_  went as well as it did." He deadpanned.  
A: "Pretty much a failure?"  
Ri: "It's not a failure if the Angel gets defeated."  
Mi: "Even if it required his mother handling things for a bit."  
Maya looked away from the carnage.  
Re: "Odd. They didn't tell this via flashback."  
Kaw: "Khara would've gone down another path when it came to telling our story. Especially if this has come from another world compared to the Laserdiscs."  
Sachiel suicided into a giant cross.  
A: "...good to see they  _still_  like using references to such a foreign religion." She mocked.  
S: "Can we really call it a reference if it  _actually happened_  though?"  
Re: "There was never a rainbow."  
Ma: "And it didn't rain... wait, is that-" She gagged.  
A: "Damn, and I thought  _we_ could be bloody with battle."  
~

  
  
_Train of Thought_  
A: "Oh great, we're already getting to the trains."  
Re: "...that's still the same though. I was practically his daughter."  
S: "Considering how he treated me, that's not a  _good_  thing. I'm not sure how  _I'd_  be thinking about that though."  
A: "Who even knows at this point Shinji. We don't even know if our backstories will be the same."  
Kaw: "So far it seems the same though, or similar enough, at least for Shinji. We don't know enough about you or Rei, or others."  
Kaj: "Then again, we're only around 20 minutes into this. They probably explain more later."  
Kaw: "Probably. We'll see."  
Mi: "Jesus christ, I hope that wasn't the aftermath of Sachiel. That looks worse than how Tokyo-3 looked after  _Armisael_."  
~

  
  
_Occult_  
Kaj: "SEELE is different? There were 12 members of the inner council."  
Kaw: "And they aren't even bothering to use their aliases of the Human Instrumentality Committee this time. Odd."  
A: "Also, the logo seems different."  
Kaw: "More cluttered, in my opinion. They obviously tried to compress more symbolism into it, as if they wanted to appear  _more_ occult."  
Ritsuko observed. "There's the apple of Adam, and the Serpent, plus the regular occult eyes we see on Lilith's mask. Not sure about the German, mine isn't particularly up to scratch nowadays."  
Asuka rolled her eyes and read. " _Überm Sternenzelt richtet Gott, wie wir gerichtet._  ‘Above the starry firmament God judges, as we judged’."  
Kaw: "The Ode to Joy." He noted.  
A: "So it's either  _more_  occult bullshit, or they're music snobs."  
Mi: "Jesus Christ it  _is_ the aftermath of Sachiel. If  _we_  had to deal with such a cleanup after every Angel, we would've gone broke by  _Ramiel_."  
Ri: "It would save on cleaning up the massive corpses they could leave behind, at least."  
Ma: "What about the pattern on the back of the monoliths, Nagisa?"  
He thought and observed. "Symbolism? The checkerboards would be Masonic in origin, symbolising the duality of man. There is also the all seeing Eye of Providence."  
Re: "...no other significance?"  
Kaworu shrugged. "If there was,  _I_  wouldn't know.  _Our_  SEELE never had this imagery, not on the monoliths or anywhere in their facilities. Even the Mask of Lilith only appeared sporadically. When you work from the shadows, the last thing you want is an identifier. I'm sure the me of  _these_  discs would know what it means, if I even  _exist_  in these discs, but  _I_  can only speculate."  
~

  
  
_Quarter_  
Ri: "This phone call was still the same." She glared at the commander.  
Misato feigned offence. "I would never!"  
Ri: "We saw the Laserdiscs, Misato. You would."  
A: "If she did, I would rip her head off. No offence Misato."  
Mi: "If I ever got to that point, I'd welcome it." She deadpanned. "Maybe if Kaji didn't end up  _dead_ , I wouldn't have tried doing that to Shinji."  
Kaji sighed. "I'm not gonna die on you, Misato. I got too much on the line now."  
Mi: "You bet your ass you do Kaji! You end up burned and I'll recover your soul just to kick your ass!"  
Kaj: "Knowing you, I don't doubt it."  
Ma: "Lovebirds." She echoed.  
Ri: "You'd think she was tsundere for him."  
Ma: "Misato's practically dependent on him. No offence ma'am."  
Mi: "None taken, I  _know_  I'm dependent on him. Like how pretty much everyone here is dependent on their counterparts."  
Ri: "Normally I'd say that was unhealthy, but considering  _I'm_  a bit dependent on Maya, I can't exactly say that without sounding hypocritical."  
A: " _You_  can't? If  _anything_  were to happen to my Shinji, whoever did it would suffer for eternity at my hands."  
Kaw: "I'm sure that's the same story for any of us."  
Ma: "Considering how... violent you guys can be when one of you gets injured in battle."  
~

  
  
_Home_  
Kaw: "It still impresses me how the city can just sprout from nothing like that."  
Re: "One of the many achievements of humanity."  
A: "...I can't believe this. Your place is even  _more_  of a pigsty then it was in reality, Misato!"  
Most of them chuckled at the sight.  
Misato had her head in her hands. "I don't even  _like_  Doritos..."  
A: " _That's_  what you focus on? Not the  _ocean_ of canned coffee, sake, Yebisu and damned  _Pizza Hut boxes_?"  
Kaw: "We  _have_  Pizza Hut here?"  
Ri: "It was one of the few American businesses to have survived Second Impact here, thank the Gods."  
Kaw: "Why was I never told of this?"  
A: "Khara probably included all these name brands for more money anyway." She muttered in scorn.  
S: "Probably, but considering how good the film looks, they obviously  _needed_  the money."  
Re: "Especially considering the Laserdiscs, and how much you complained about the quality of them, Asuka."  
Ma: "And you really led this life, Misato."  
Mi: "You probably think less of me now, Maya." She groaned.  
Ma: "A bit, yeah. Least you got over it."  
Kaj: "Even though it took Shinji to get her out of it."  
Ma: "...even though you're still indecent. Ma'am."  
Misato shrugged it off. "Being indecent is fun though Maya! I know for a fact  _you two_  can be quite a bit indecent when you  _think_ there's no one around!"  
Maya became a strawberry.  
~

  
  
_Toothpick_  
S: "Oh Gods, why does _this_ have to be the same..."  
The room burst out laughing.  
A: "That never gets old."  
Ma: "Man Misato, you're so lucky to have a penguin for a pet."  
Mi: "He's quite a nice companion. Better than the average dog or cat."  
Ri: "Cats can be alright too, you realise."  
Mi: "Is your cats smart enough to read the finances?"  
Ri: "...Why would Pen-Pen even be interested in stocks anyway? He's a  _bird_ , he can't hold stocks!"  
Misato shrugged. "You'd be surprised what Tosho-2 allows when you show a NERV ID."  
Ma: "...He has  _stocks_?!"  
Mi: "I don't see what the fuss is about."  
A: "He isn't very good at it though," She giggled, "but it's harmless fun and he enjoys it."  
Shinji chuckled. "He once invested in a company whose sole product was a ¥40000 juicer."  
Misato burst out. "That was great. Bought their stock when they were ¥99 apiece, and when the company folded a few months later, they bought out his stocks for  _less than a single Yen._ "  
Kaw: "Apparently there just isn't a market for ¥40000 juicers."  
Kaj: "What a surprise there." He deadpanned.  
Maya and Ritsuko just looked at the group in shock, as they concluded her apartment was a den of chaos.  
~

  
  
_Familiar Ceiling_  
Re: "I assume my injuries were still the result of Unit-00."  
Kaw: "I think it's safe to assume that  _generally_ , events will proceed the same. They seem to be following the same path as the Laserdiscs, just in a different form."  
A: "There's already been differences though. It's actually kinda obvious this rendition came from another world than the Laserdiscs."  
S: "Do we know if it came from the same person?"  
Ri: "The discs had no labelling on them, and came in no significant case. We would have to wait for the credits to know for sure, but it's certainly possible it's  _another_  rendition of Hideki Anno."  
Kaw: "I would've expected that. It makes sense the same idea could persist between worlds."  
Re: "And sometimes that idea  _is_  the world."  
A: "I'd say it's more than sometimes, considering  _our_  world is that idea." She winced at Toji's actions. "And I still need to hit him."  
Ma: "...they skipped a bit of it, didn't they? Wasn't there a whole section where Shinji goes to school, and everyone finds out about his piloting?"  
Ri: "Not in this rendition, obviously."  
A: "So we are just to believe they  _somehow_  found out about him being a pilot." She deadpanned. "If I hadn't already seen the Laserdiscs, I'd be confused about  _how_  such a secret could be found out by  _those_  two stooges."  
Kaj: "Are you gonna point out  _every_  difference between the two Asuka?"  
A: "Yes. Because I already have the Laserdiscs as a standard to look out for,  _especially_  considering the Laserdiscs followed our lives to the letter, until the 8th disc at least."  
~

  
  
_Call of Duty_  
A: "Odd. Somehow the simulator looks  _worse_  than it did."  
S: "Forgetting that it's  _still_  a trigger pulling simulator."  
Ri: "Taxpayers." She huffed. "Also we  _don't_  have bespoke simulators like that. That's practically a simulation body!"  
Ma: "We normally just interface directly with the sensory inputs of the Eva, don't we?"  
Ri: "Yeah, it's simpler just to emulate input and output to an Evangelion, though I admit it takes a while to connect an Eva to the interface. Maybe the us of  _that_  world thought that downtime to be unacceptable."  
Mi: "...that doesn't sound like too bad an idea actually, what they did. It  _does_  take hours to connect the Evas to the simulator interface, during which the Evas have to be taken off active deployment, whereas with a bespoke simulator like that, it could potentially be used in  _minutes_  while allowing the Eva to remain on deploy."  
A: "It  _would_  also allow us easier access to the simulator, without all the various restrictions."  
Ritsuko was actually seriously considering it. "It  _would_  be expensive to make a simulator design akin to how the other NERV did it though. We know how it  _looks_  like, but looks don't mean anything when we don't know the  _mechanisms_  behind that machine. Though, it would be nice to reduce the turnaround of the simulator as it is now." She scratched some notes.  
Ma: "If anything, you can at least add the idea to the pile and send it down the line, like most of our ideas."  
~

  
  
_Ski Lift_  
Mi: "Why don't  _we_  have something like that?"  
Ri: "Misato, if you try to incorporate every idea from this film into  _our_  NERV, we're gonna go broke."  
Mi: "So far though,  _this_  NERV is blowing  _our_  NERV out of the water."  
Ma: "I dunno, most of the things they have seem similar. We both have a Magi, for example, and there's no reason to assume  _their_  Magi is more capable than ours. Unless you count the eye candy, but we're paramilitary. We don't  _need_  eye candy like that."  
Kaw: "About the only thing  _they_  have that seems a genuine improvement over  _our_  technology is the Eva simulator. The rest we have, albeit looking less fancy."  
A: "I kinda like our aesthetic though. It's grown on me."  
Ri: "Good, cause it's not changing. Not over my dead body. I'm far too used to it, it'll interrupt our workflow."  
Mi: " _Every_  change to the systems I propose breaks your workflow." She deadpanned.  
Kaj: "They  _are_  the administrators of said systems, you realise."  
~

  
  
_Shamshel_  
Kaw: "Shamshel's looking... different."  
Ma: "Is it just me or does it look more... red?"  
Kaw: "That was not her colour. She was a more purple, black colour."  
A: "So not even the Angels are gonna be the same?"  
Re: "We don't know for sure. I feel like that's been said a lot."  
Mi: "...holy shit, those  _battlements_! That's awesome!"  
Ri: "No, Misato."  
Misato pouted like a child.  
A: "Considering said battlements are almost completely  _useless_  in  _battle_."  
Ri: "Unless your goal is to-"  
The movie's Ritsuko echoed her exact sentiment.  
They chuckled.  
Ri: "As  _I_  said."  
~

  
  
_Fight_  
Ma: "Looks like those two  _still_  snuck out."  
A: "Morons."  
Ri: "We chewed them out enough. They wouldn't make that same mistake again."  
A: "They just did though."  
Ri: "In  _this_  world, they won't make the same mistake again."  
Re: "Speaking of mistakes though, the battle with Shamshel."  
S: "Yeah, that could've gone better."  
A: "Not your fault Shinji, you were only taught  _one_  strategy."  
Kaw: "An ultimately ineffective strategy, considering Shamshel was different compared to Sachiel."  
Mi: "We talked about this the  _first_  time we watched this scene. We didn't anticipate the Angel this early, and we were still trying to teach him basics."  
Ri: "I'm surprised things didn't end up as bad as I expected. Considering Shinji didn't return when he was told."  
Shinji sighed. "I wasn't in the right-"  
Mi: "Headspace."  
Ma: "I'd say that was fair, considering what happened."  
The battle raged on.  
Kaworu sighed. "Still ended the same. Though she remained for a while in our world, didn't she?"  
Mi: "Shamshel? We were actually able to  _study_  it  _and_  the S2 engine, thanks to Shinji's little stunt. Guess we don't even have  _that_ in that reality."  
A: "That appears to be a thing with these Angels. Sachiel also ended the same way, didn't it? Exploding into blood rain, making a rainbow."  
Ri: "It would've saved on the cleanup effort, I suppose. We would've only had to invest in mops and waterproofing."  
~

  
  
_Runaway_  
Mi: "Least  _you_  understand  _why_  I had to chew you out, Shinji."  
S: "Well, yeah. Even if I did defeat the Angel, I still disobeyed orders."  
Ri: "They weren't even  _moronic_  orders like what the previous commander would do. Least with his I could understand  _why_  you would disobey them."  
He shrugged. "At least she didn't throw me in the brig."  
A: "Though he still ran away."  
S: "He was almost certainly going through what I was going through though. At the very least they don't spend 15 minutes focusing on it."  
Mi: "And at least he  _wanted_  to go back, instead of being forced back by Section 2."  
A: "Section 2 actually seem  _competent_  in this rendition. It seemed like they were able to follow Shinji all the way."  
Ri: "Even though he still noticed them."  
S: "I'm not  _that_  perspective."  
Kaw: "They  _do_  stand out a bit, considering they're meant to be secret. It was rather easy to shake them off, in my experience."  
Kaj: "So that's  _another_  thing this NERV has over our world's NERV. Actually competent security."  
~

  
  
_Honour_  
S: "Say what you will about Toji, he has  _some_  honour."  
A: "A weird kind of honour. Though maybe that's just a man thing I'll never understand."  
Mi: "Testosterone's a wonderful thing. I'm glad I don't have to deal with it."  
A: "Are  _we_  really any better though?"  
She shrugged. "The two sexes have their own unique problems to deal with. As Kaji said, man and woman are separated by a river. Our issues are our issues."  
Kaj: "Well, it was more profound than that."  
Misato poked her tongue. "I don't remember the specifics of the quote."  
Re: "Though having someone of the opposite sex is quite a nice thing, I'd think."  
Kaw: "Ritsuko and Ibuki are doing quite alright for themselves, don't you think?"  
Rei looked towards them. "Was that insensitive?"  
Ritsuko shrugged. "It's alright Rei. A relationship like ours is indeed odd in our society."  
S: "Compared to what  _else_  goes on in our world, it's rather tame."  
A: "I've seen odder. Like what Kensuke has going on, for example."  
Ma: "Is it really  _both_  of them?"  
Re: "Yes." She glared at Asuka, and she realised she may have ran her mouth.  
Ma: "...What a stud. I wouldn't guess  _he_  could do that."  
Not many people knew the truth of their relationship.  
~

  
  
_Berserk_  
Re: "...I was right. Unit-00 was the same."  
Ri: "I think I was a bit unfair to Gendo when I saw this scene. He wouldn't have been able to help her, since the plug ejected on its own."  
S: "Though I wasn't that injured in  _my_  berserker, even though events seemed similar."  
Mi: "That's cause  _we_  knocked you out and cushioned you better by increasing the pressure of the LCL to max. Oh yeah, sorry about that."  
He shrugged. "No big. It helped me get out of it with only bruising. Though... your hands are still burned."  
She took off a glove, revealing reddened skin. "You know I'd hurt myself to make sure you're safe."  
Ri: "You are such a mother to them, Misato."  
~

  
  
_Acknowledge_  
S: "Well, nowadays I don't do it for my father's recognition."  
A: "Not that you'd  _want_  his acknowledgement anyway." She messed his hair. "You do it for us, don't ya?"  
He chuckled, resting on her. "Yeah. I've broken free of that."  
A: "Helps you have us to love you. Lover, mother, sister, friend. We have a whole family, don't we?"  
A smile. "Yeah." He continued resting on her shoulder.  
Ma: "Heh. Lovebirds."  
Ri: "Kinda reminds me of how you two were like in college, Misato."  
Mi: "We weren't  _that_  lovey-dovey, Rits."  
Ri: "Maybe not in public, Ms Week Straight."  
Kaji and Misato started spluttering as they realised they  _both_  saw that. The doctor and her Kohai started laughing.  
Ri: "Oh, Rei. You still get a new ID card?"  
Re: "Appears that way."  
Shinji and Asuka's impromptu makeout session was interrupted by this revelation. "Ah shit. Don't tell me  _that's_  the same."  
Asuka glared. "I guess you'll get to second base with  _your sister_  again."  
He hid his face. "It was bad enough once. I was surprised Kaworu didn't chew me out."  
Kaw: "Honestly, I was more entertained by how Murphy decided to relieve himself on you."  
~

  
  
_Dilapidated_  
A: "And  _that's_  still the same. I still don't know how you could tolerate such a place Rei."  
Re: "The cocktail of drugs I was on would help."  
Mi: "Christ, I should've looked into your living situation earlier."  
Ri: "I feel like I'm partially blame to that."  
Re: "No need to feel that way. It  _was_  the commander who gave me those quarters, after all."  
~

  
  
_Tumble_  
Shinji and Maya had their faces in their hands. "Not again..." He groaned.  
Re: "You know, you were the first boy to make it  _that_  far with me, Shinji. You could've at least bought me dinner first."  
He groaned some more.  
Kaw: "I would've been  _salsa_  on the wall if I tried that with Rei. Guess being a brother has some advantages."  
He groaned some more, to the laughter of the others.  
Mi: "Man you guys are  _not_  letting him live it down. I thought that was  _my_  job."  
Ma: "Please stahp this is embarrassing." The strawberry pleaded.  
Asuka messed Shinji's hair. "It's all in good fun Shinji."  
S: "I know." He was still a tomato.  
A: "Though you only do that to  _me_  now, kay?"  
He groaned some more.  
~

  
  
_Hit Hit Hit_  
S: "At least he apologised, like I did."  
A: "Though she's still gonna slap you I suppose."  
**_THWACK_**  
S: "Yep." He said flatly.  
Re: "It was rather... satisfying, to be honest."  
A: "I imagine it would be."  
Kaw: "Though it's not satisfying to be on the receiving end."  
Kaj: "We know that quite well."  
Kaw: "I doubt you've been  _bounced off a tree_ , Kaji."  
Ma: "Damn Rei, you really  _were_  yandere for him."  
Re: "I'd say it was more of a tsundere. Sorta like Asuka."  
Ramiel's siren did little to interrupt the conversation.  
A: "Except  _I_  can't bounce boys off trees when they get too in my face."  
Mi: "Shoving them into a  _bin_  is surely close enough though."  
Asuka grew a smug little smile, chuckling. "You found out?"  
Mi: "Yes. I would've berated you, but they deserved it honestly."  
Ri: "I wouldn't exactly call that  _healthy_  behaviour to teach a young woman, Misato."  
Mi: " _None_  of us have healthy behaviour, Rits. You should know this by now,  _you_  do the checks on them."  
Kaw: "Holy hell, she looks even more beautiful."  
They looked to the screen.  
A: "Woah."  
S: "Ramiel wasn't  _that_  shiny."  
~

  
  
_Octahedron_  
Mi: "IT  _TRANSFORMS_?!"  
Kaw: "I find it odd this rendition of Ramiel would expose her core like that to fire a shot. Especially since  _our_  Ramiel didn't have to do such a thing."  
Re: "In addition to taking several seconds to get into a firing position. That's already a disadvantage towards her."  
S: "Not that it helped me."  
Mi: "They got the blast shields up though. That would give you a few seconds to recover."  
Ramiel transformed from an hourglass into a cross, and fired an even more powerful beam.  
Misato simply glared at the screen. "Well shit."  
Kaw: "She was  _never_  this powerful. This is like Zeruel."  
A: "Great. So the Angels are even  _worse_  this time."  
Ri: "I have low hopes for Zeruel in that case. At least Shinji was recovered."  
Ma: "Do  _we_  have bolts like that?"  
Ri: "Ehh, we never had to use them, but they're there. Just in case there's a need for emergency recovery."  
Kaj: "Never know when you need a contingency plan. I know for a fact NERV is chock full of them."  
~

  
  
_Meeting_  
Ma: "A  _colour_  terminal?" Her eyes went wide.  
Re: "Sounds like Yashima is still on the table."  
Mi: "I would've come to the same conclusion, I imagine."  
Kaw: "And indeed you have."  
Mi: "Considering we only had until midnight, we were damn lucky the JSSDF were working on such a gun."  
Ma: "And you were able to use all of Japan's power to use such a weapon."  
A: " _And_  in such short notice."  
Mi: "Japan's pretty great like that. Thank God the powers that be decided to unify the grids."  
~

  
  
_Rescue_  
Mi: "Aww, you decided to wait for Shinji."  
Rei blushed. "I was probably waiting to give him information about Yashima."  
Ma: "Still though. That's nice of you, Rei."  
Kaw: "I am still  _very_  impressed at the organisation this nation has."  
Ma: "When we need to get stuff done, we can get it done fast."  
Ri: "We're like that. Always working, like a beehive."  
Kaj: "Though it helps the survival of this world was on the line."  
A: "Considering in the Laserdiscs, in the end it didn't even matter."  
Kaj: "These  _aren't_  the Laserdiscs though. There's always a chance things will end up differently."  
A: "Knowing  _our_  luck when it comes to these things, Third Impact will happen  _early_."  
Misato glared. "Thanks for jinxing it, Asuka."  
Kaw: "... _eight_  Angels?" He counted in his mind. "...that's only 14 Angels in total, even considering the order was moved up by one."  
Re: "Is that counting Ramiel?"  
Kaw: "I didn't include her based on the former commander's tone. But that still only leaves 14 in  _that_  world, instead of the 17 in ours, including myself."  
S: "You would still be the final messenger though, right?"  
Kaworu shrugged. "I cannot know for sure. This world is too similar so far to differentiate it in my mind. Though that leaves me wondering... who gets skipped?"  
~

  
  
_I already made the joke about train of thought, damn it._  
A: "And that's  _two_  trains so far."  
Ma: "...Ohhh, I get it. Train of thought."  
Kaw: "That's what I assumed they were getting at."  
A: "Though to be fair, I  _was_  in a train during my...  _experience_  with Leliel."  
S: "Maybe it's just a thing for this world then."  
A: "It's odd though. Because I thought that was just  _my_  mind trying to understand what was going on in that oxygen deprived hellhole. But apparently  _half of Tokyo-3_  got on that damn train during the Laserdiscs."  
Mi: "Bit of an overstatement, but yeah. That analogy seems to be a favourite of... Anno, was it?"  
Kaj: "There seems to be less introspective scenes though."  
Mi: "You weren't even  _here_  for the first bit of the Laserdiscs Kaji."  
He shrugged. "Most of this stuff is what I was able to dig up before anyway."  
Misato and Ritsuko glared at him.  
~

  
  
_Yashima_  
The power infrastructure continued to be established.  
Kaw: "Very impressive."  
S: "I don't remember being  _this_  averse to piloting my Eva though. Especially considering  _that_  me didn't even quit."  
A: "To be fair, you were almost roasted to death by a seemingly  _more_  powerful Ramiel."  
S: "Still, I should've realised earlier that I can't simply shrug off piloting Eva like that."  
A: "It's all in the past, Shinji. I know for a fact  _you_  got  _much_  better."  
S: "I think you helped with that, Asuka."  
A: "And everyone else."  
Mi: "I wonder what  _that_  me would do to convince you though."  
Ri: "...You're a Lieutenant Colonel in this. That would put you 3rd in command. You probably have access to a lot more secrets than you did in our world."  
Mi: "...wait, _Lieutenant Colonel_? At this stage in our world, I was a  _Captain_. How the hell do I have such a high rank already?"  
Kaj: "The highest you got before you were made commander was Major."  
Mi: "And  _she's_  already a rank above  _that_.  _She_  would outrank  _me_ , if not for the fact I was commander."  
~

  
  
_Terminal_  
Ri: "So  _that's_  how you convince him."  
Mi: "I knew of Lilith  _this_  early? Fucks sake, that would've saved me a  _lot_  of trouble."  
Kaj: "Would've saved  _me_  a lot of trouble as well. You even  _identified_  it correctly, not even _I_ did at first."  
Re: "...the Lance is already present as well."  
Kaw: "Her mask is different. It's more akin to Sachiel's face than the seven eyed mask it has in our world."  
A: "...hang on a minute, where the hell does the seven eyes come from then? I thought it came from said mask."  
Kaworu shrugged. "Who knows at this point. I find it odd Shinji would be convinced by such a thing though."  
S: "Well, it showed him that  _he_  wasn't the only person who put their life on the line.  _That_  probably convinced him."  
Ma: "Though you didn't have to be shown Lilith to be convinced in this world."  
Mi: "Not like I  _could_  show him Lilith if I wanted to. I didn't even  _know_  of her existence until after  _Zeruel_. I probably would've been shot by the autoguns."  
~

  
  
_Directive_  
S: "This was similar at least. Centre target, pull switch. Like I practiced."  
Mi: "Even though it took two shots."  
S: "That'll probably be the case this time as well, you realise."  
Ri: "It's a good thing we weren't annihilated."  
Ma: "I'd say. I thought we were toast when the first shot missed."  
Japan descended into darkness, a singular point of light indicating Tokyo-3.  
Kaw: "...they made this scene even  _more_  profound than it was in the Laserdiscs."  
Ri: "We needed everything for this operation."  
Kaj: "Within 9 hours, you were able to route  _all_  the power of Japan to a single point. I don't think you worked that fast since, even the Lance recovery operation had several days to prepare."  
Re: "When survival is at state, anything seems reasonable." She thought. "I feel like I've said that before."  
A: "Considering this is pretty much the same as what happened in the Laserdiscs, I wouldn't be surprised."  
~

  
  
_00:00_  
Mi: "Time's up. Let's do this."  
The commanders monitored the operation.  
Ri: "...we didn't bombard the Angel."  
Kaw: "It seems to be a distraction. And she has yet  _more_  forms."  
Ritsuko had her notebook out, scratching notes into it. "Of course. We could've distracted the Angel with heavy bombardment. That might've prevented it from noticing and firing the first shot."  
Kaw: "It was a good thing  _we_  fired at that point."  
Ri: "It is. In our world, the positron beam warped Ramiel's beam, causing it to hit off target. It was damn lucky actually; a direct hit would've been the end for us."  
S: "Oh come on,  _now's_  not the time to get brooding."  
The gun fired. Ramiel screamed and bled.  
A: "Yes! You got it!"  
Mi: "First try! Hell yeah Shinji!"  
~

  
  
[nope.avi](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvdf5n-zI14)  
Ramiel healed, and began changing and charging.  
S: "Oh for fucks sake."  
Ma: "Welp, we're boned."  
Ri: "I concur."  
Mi: "Yep. Boned."  
Kaj: "Boned."  
Re: "Boned."  
Kaw: "Boned."  
A: "You guys are  _fucked_."  
Ramiel vaporised a mountain, directly hitting them.  
A: "...holy shit."  
Kaw: "This power! Amazing!"  
Kaj: "...What's even more amazing is how  _everything_ survived."  
Ma: "When that happens, all you can really do is thank the Gods for your luck."  
S: "...man, I'm really determined."  
A: " _That's_  the Shinji I know. Despite everything you  _still_  soldier on."  
~

  
  
_Second Attempt_  
A: "C'mon Shinji, you can do it!"  
Ma: "This feels much more dramatic than how it happened."  
Mi: "Makes for better viewing. We need some damn popcorn for this!"  
Ri: "Crap, it's firing again."  
Re: "As it did in our world. But I protected Shinji in  _our_  world. I will protect him in this one too."  
She did just that.  
Kaw: "...you seemed to spend a lot longer in her beam though."  
Re: "It would be worth it."  
The gun fired.  
Ramiel's core shattered, and the Angel disintegrated into blood.  
Asuka jumped from her seat. "YES! YOU DID IT!" She clung to Shinji.  
He sighed. "Second time's the charm. Now I just need to get Rei out."  
Mi: "...At the very least, we don't have to spend billions of Yen trying to clean up Ramiel in that rendition."  
~

  
  
_Rei_  
Mi: "Still adorable."  
S: "Emotions were pretty high after this. Though I imagine  _he_  would've been going through a lot more emotions at this stage, considering all that happened."  
Rei smiled, to fawning.  
Ma: "You're so adorable Rei."  
  
The scene changed. Kaworu emerged from a sarcophagus.  
Kaw: "...wait a minute, what the hell? What am I doing there?"  
A: "...That's the Moon."  
The being was shown. Gasps  
Ri: "What in oblivion is  _that_? A progenitor?"  
Ma: "It looks like  _our_  Lilith, it even has the same mask."  
Re: "...is  _that_  the Third? There was Adam and Lilith."  
Kaw: "Adam has not been shown yet. For all we know, that could  _be_  Adam."  
Mi: "On the moon though?"  
Kaj: "We know for a fact SEELE have a base on Mars. The Moon would be easy for them."  
A: "Adam was in damn Antarctica though. And it's obvious Second Impact still occurred, so how on Earth would they get Adam  _off_ Earth and onto the  _Moon_? Forgetting the fact that Antarctica was  _vaporised_  during Second Impact, and Adam was small enough to fit in a briefcase!"  
Ma: "Didn't we deploy a few satellites around the Moon during Operation Crucifix?"  
Mi: "We did, since it's not every day we go to the  _Moon_. We would know if there was anything going on there."  
S: "So what the hell is  _this_  SEELE doing? Kaworu?"  
Kaw: "I'm running through the scenarios right now." He concentrated.   
  
Meanwhile Maya had got her terminal out, connected to the various satellites. "I know that's another universe, but it's worth making sure there isn't anything going on down there."  
  
Ritsuko  _also_  had her terminal out, but she was searching through the SEELE files that Melchior kept digging up. "...there's no mention of Lunar operations. Melchior has recently discovered references to  _Mars_  though. Bit late, considering what happened." She skipped the video back to the titan.  
  
"...so  _our_  SEELE had contingencies on Mars, but  _this_  SEELE has them on the Moon instead?" Asuka queried.  
  
"Sure appears to be that way. And in that other universe, there seems to be a potential  _third_  progenitor, if we assume the Lunar being  _isn't_  Adam."  
  
"...what if it's an Eva?"  
  
Everyone stared at Shinji. A popping capacitor of the screen cut through the silence.  
  
"...what? I don't think that's actual skin. It looks too rubbery, like they're trying to cover something. Also, the scale is off. I don't think there'll be  _another_  progenitor that  _no one_  knew about. We surely would've found it by now, considering we got surveillance both around the Moon  _and_  aimed at Mars."  
  
"...I mean, that's possible." Ritsuko admitted, relaxing a bit. "Maybe we're just being overly paranoid."  
  
"It's a damn better possibility than it being  _another_  progenitor." Asuka said. "What say you, Kaworu?"  
  
"...Mark Zero?"  
~~~

 

_"Are you_ insane, _16?"_ The voice of Oversight 02 was low over the secure line.  
  
"I admit this is rumour, but it's sourced directly from NERV resources."  
  
_"I find that hard to believe. How could we even prove this?"_  
  
"Satellites are out of the question. We need a rover."  
  
_"Out of the question. Getting a mobile probe to Mars will take at least half a year with conventional rocketry, forgetting that a rover hasn't been developed and sent to Mars since '97. We wouldn't even know where to begin!"_  
  
"They have facilities."  
  
_"Flooded in water and LCL. Even if they_ did _have either of what you suggested on Mars, what could we do to stop them? We can only make a difference around Earth. There's jack shit we can do for the rest of the solar system!"_  
  
"In that case, we wait for them. If they didn't annihilate themselves in that Impact event, then they would surely try their hand at Earth again. And they might have something  _other_  than the MP-Eva."  
  
_"...The first scenario you described would explain how an Impact was possible. I'll give you that much. But I won't allocate resources I don't have to rumour and hearsay. I suggest we wait and see if they play their hand, as you said."_  
  
"Weren't you planning on going to Mars anyway?"  
  
_"Yes, albeit a colonising force, not paramilitary. Somewhere where we could've started fresh after Second Impact. It would've been sometime next decade but the Martian Impact set back the timeline several years. We won't have boots on the ground until then. Will this be discussed next meeting?"_  
  
"Not unless I find more information."  
  
_"Good. There's no reason to cause a panic in our ranks. I suggest you find more_ substantial _information, 16."_  
  
The phone clicked off.  
  
"...Gods, you can be a jackass sometimes, Spen."  
~~~

  
  
Oversight 02 hooked the phone onto its cradle, a glass of Tennessee bourbon sitting forgotten on his desk.  
  
Papers were illuminated, pinned onto a corkboard. Requisitioned from UN and his friends in the CIA, everything about SEELE he could find. It was a shame NERV had such a monopoly on information about them, but he was able to dig up a fair share. It helps he had a lot of money in his coffers. His partnership with NERV should also allow him to get some more information, even though they have a reputation of being obstinate mules at the best of times.  
  
The intercom buzzed, his trusted secretary on the line.  _"You have papers here for you, Spencer."_  
  
"...Send them up, Claire."  
  
_"Right away."_  
  
He was left alone, the morning sun shining down on a framed photograph. A girl, wearing glasses, in a pink plugsuit. The last light in his world, snuffed out over a year ago.  
  
SEELE were the reason why she met her horrifying end. He knew that to be true.  
  
The glass was remembered.  
~~~

  
  
Kaworu was resting in Rei's lap. Pensive. There were still questions.  
  
"...Rei?"  
  
"Yeah Kaworu?"  
  
"...what happens to a soul if they  _can't_  be reborn?"  
  
"...I... don't know. Why do you ask?"  
  
"...my kin."  
  
Rei was dispirited, as she realised. She held his hand. "You may not be able to see Lilim wanderers, but... try. Maybe... you can see them."  
  
He expanded his awareness, with her help. He fell crestfallen, which Rei immediately picked up on.  
  
"How many do you see?"  
  
"...not many."  
  
Rei thought. She had an idea. "...we're going out." She picked up Kaworu and positioned him on her back. "You, concentrate, and navigate me to one of your own."  
~~~

  
  
The sight of a boy with ashen hair on the back of a blue haired girl, running without pause through the night, like she knew exactly where she was going, would usually give pause to someone. Not the people of Tokyo-3, considering what else happens in that damned city. They were left uninterrupted, as she made her way to the outskirts.  
  
"Here." He hopped off and investigated. Kaworu served well as a navigator, though it helped they were linked.  
  
Near a hillside that Rei recognised, Kaworu was able to pinpoint a single candle. A shadow of its former self, its light flickering and faded. A light only he could see.  
  
"...yes. It's one of my own."  
  
"...do you need some time alone, Kaworu?"  
  
"No. I'd rather you be here."  
  
He held out his hand, in front of him. Quietly beckoning.  
  
The pyrefly drifted into his hand and rested. He could feel a warmth as it made its presence known. Emotion flooded in, emotion that was not his own.  
  
"...Ramiel."  
  
_query pensive kin brother Tabris "b-brother. i am ashamed y-you had to f-f-f-find me in such a st-state."_  
  
"Don't be. You did well."  
  
_sadness melancholy longing "...i s-still failed in m-m-my mission. a-an-and now i can-cannot even fe-feel Father's light."_  
  
"...Father is gone." Mournful was his tone, as he held this faded soul. "I am the last of his seed that continues to walk this base Earth."  
  
_sorrow "...s-s-so it is true. i f-feared the worst when he le-left my mi-mind."_  
  
"I persist though." He cooed to his sister. "I have learnt to live with my nature, alongside the Lilim."  
  
_pensive "...y-you are wise, Tabris. that is why you w-won. you ar-are like the Lilim. our other bro-brothers and sisters could not k-know of such knowledge."_  
  
"I still cannot truly know of the Fruit of Knowledge, Rami. But I persist. I made relations with the Lilim, to overcome my own shortcomings."  
  
_pensive concession "...that is why you won." warmth light foreign soul "i feel another pr-presence. in your soul, Tabris. is this a Lilith?"_  
  
"Yes. She is beside me."  
  
_query "...may i speak with her?"_  
  
He looked towards Rei, silently enquiring.  
  
She held his free hand.  
  
_acknowledgement fear aversion "...you were the other one? i-in the orange d-deviant."_  
  
"Yes. Do you hold anything against me?"  
  
_pensive concession "...no. it is the nature of life to fight back a-against those who seek to end it. T-Tabris succeeded because he did not aim to destroy y-your world. He sought to live in it, a-as you do."_  
  
"If it's any consolation, you were the second most powerful of the Angels. It took the whole capabilities of our nation to bring you low."  
  
_Melancholic elation, acknowledgement "Then I can r-rest easy, knowing I gave it my a-all. It was Z-Zeruel who was stronger than I?"_  
  
"Yes."  
  
_Humour, joy. Remembrance. Respect "He was always like that. Lilim, I give you m-my gratitude. T-that is all I have left at this point."_  
  
"Thank you, Ramiel."  
  
_weakness "Tabris, I-I wish to speak to you alone."_  
  
Kaworu could see wisps of her spirit flickering off her. Her light was decaying. Speaking with him was sapping her already spent resources. Rei disengaged from them, and gave them some privacy.  
  
_fear query "T-Tabris. Y-you do know what h-happens to us if w-we should fall, right? We- we cannot be reborn l-like the Lilim. Not without F-father."_  
  
"...i don't know, Rami."  
  
_genuine feeling innocent query "...you w-were never told, were you?"_  
  
"...no." He conceded, emotions building.  
  
_"...Tabris. we_ _die."_  
  
Rei felt her soul rend, bringing her low. Tears were welling in her eyes.  
  
Kaworu locked up, the words piercing through his mind as he realised their true significance. Tears began streaming down his face, as he cupped this wavering light, holding it close. "i- i'm sorry... i... i did not know... if i did-"  
  
_"...i k-know. i accepted my fate l-long ago. i app-appreciate you finding m-me though, b-brother. at l-least now i can f-fade with someone i l-love by m-my si-side..."_  
  
"...sister... i wish i could do more to help you."  
  
_"...yo-you've done enou-enough, Tabris. you survived. y-you lived. you-you're thriving. you're loved. as l-long as you live, as long as o-one of our own c-can survive in a w-world that i-is not our own._  
  
_That's all you need to do, brother._ _Li_ _ve."_  
  
She was fading faster now. "n-no... not yet. please." It was becoming difficult to feel her.  
  
_"i'm s-sorry, brother. p-promise me if you f-find more of o-our kin before they fade, y-you will help them a-as you helped me."_  
  
"...i promise."  
  
_"...thank you. g-goodbye, br-brother. i-ill see you again s-somed_  
  
The link between the two souls disappeared, and her light dissipated into the air. All that was left in his hands was the warmth of what was her soul.  
  
His legs lost their strength, and he collapsed into a kneel. He stared, eyes wide and unblinking, into his hands.  
  
Kaworu's anguish could be heard from a mile away.

* * *

 


	3. Rebuild 2.22

* * *

Last login: Sun Dec 17 18:26:42 on MelchiorTTYS177013

Melchior177013:~ rAkagi$ cat ~/screencap/CAPTURE_171217_210242.txt

================================================

_THREAD: DVD on SGI_

Aida, Kensuke   
16/12/17

  
So I recently came into possession of a DVD   
drive, for a project of mine. It's an external   
drive, Firewire. I was wondering what I need in   
order to get it running on my SG machine, if   
its possible at all.  
  
I am running IRIX 7.3.80, on a pre-2I Octane,   
dual R12000, 4GiB memory.  
  
Thanks in advance,  
  
-A  
  
===  
  
StarOfNight   
17/12/17  
  
_Re: DVD on SGI  
On Sat, 16 Dec 2017 13:39:38 +0900,   
Aida, Kensuke wrote:  
>So, I recently came into possession of a DVD   
>drive, for a project of mine. It's an external _  
_> drive, Firewire. I was wondering what I need in  
>order to get it running on my SG machine, if _  
_> it's possible at all._  
  
I actually coded something akin to that during   
my uni days, in order to improve my skills in C.   
It ran on a spec'd out '05 era Tezro however, so  
YMMV.  
  
You might have to reprogram some things to get   
it working on your system, but it was able to   
play DVD video  _and_  audio at a reasonable rate.   
And don't worry, I write good comments.  
  
Attached is the DVD driver and a simple DVD   
player. Feel free to have fun with it, and   
contact me if you need any assistance with the   
code.  
  
SoN  
  
_ATTACHED FILES:  
sgdvdd_c (BZh)  
sgdvdp_c (BZh)  
readme (txt)_  
  
===  
  
Aida, Kensuke   
17/12/17  
  
_On Sun, 17 Dec 2017, 17:58:12 +0900,  
StarOfNight wrote:  
>I actually coded something akin to that during   
>my college days, in my spare time. It ran on a _  
_> college Tezro however, so YMMV.  
>snip_  
  
Many thanks! I will be sure to contact you if I   
need any help. My C isn't exactly industry   
standard, but I should be able to work with the   
sources you gave me.  
  
Thanks again!  
  
-A  
  
==END OF THREAD==  
================================================

Melchior177013:~ rAkagi$

~~~

 

"Hook, line and sinker." The doctor closed her terminal and put it away for the night, a smug smile on her face.  
  
"I'm guessing that university story wasn't true." Maya was rested quite comfortably on her Sempai, having spent the past few minutes looking on at the amber screen and admiring Ritsuko's handiwork. "Though knowing you, it might've been possible."  
  
She snorted and snarked, "Not at all. They wouldn't be able to  _afford_  a Tezro."  
  
The Kohai snickered. "I wonder how they're still in business, with such expensive machines."  
  
"A question for the philosophers." Ritsuko fidgeted a bit, getting nice and comfortable on the couch. "I didn't code it myself anyway. I got the Magi to emulate a system of his spec and code a  _relatively_  simple program that  _should_  run on a system like that."  
  
"Should?"  
  
"I may or may not have included a few things for him to find out. Errors, missing bits of code, obfuscation, memory leaks, things like that. See if he's worth his salt.  _May_  have made it phone home as well so I know if he succeeds, though I'm not gonna stream whatever's on those DVDs of his. Poor kid's still on dialup."  
  
"...oooh, I see Rits. You're  _testing him_."  
  
A single chuckle. "You have a keen mind, Maya. He may not become a pilot, but he has other skills that could be put to good use here. He passes this test, he may just become my new apprentice."  
  
"Makes sense, we could always use more technicians around here. And it's not like I'm an apprentice anymore, even though I still call you Sempai, Sempai."  
  
"You're a full blown  _administrator_ , Maya. Though that still only leaves  _two_  people here who can actually  _program_  those machines, instead of 'asking nicely', as Makoto put it. And as you suggested, new blood is always good for NERV."  
  
"Even though his father works here. Probably would've got a job anyway." Maya commented, knowing full well that NERV is the only decent place in this mad city to get a job, unless you liked working at a grocers, school or a Pizza Hut. "I'm guessing you knew about that requisition Aida requested then?"  
  
"Knew? I _gave_ him the damn thing! Not like we could use it anyway. We have no DVDs at all, and none of our terminals have 1394 ports; too difficult to get the licensing for them nowadays. Least according to NEC."  
  
"So this is all just some gambit to get Kensuke into the fold?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"...clever girl." Ritsuko blushed as Maya snuggled further into her warmth. "So, what's the programming like?"  
  
"Oh hoh, its pillow talk you'd like, eh Maya? Well..."  
~~~

  
  
The phone rang. And rang. It rang too long.  
  
Misato sighed. "...where the hell are those two?"  
  
"They seem to like their private time, don't they?" Asuka kept going at it on her WonderSwan, Shinji asleep on her chest. Misato declined to comment on his somewhat compromising position, because they were totally adorable.  
  
"...still though. I get concerned when they don't check in."  
  
"As you would, Misato. I wouldn't be worried though, those two can handle themselves." She snickered. "Knowing Rei, if anyone bugs her, she can just pop them like a balloon."  
  
Misato's eyes went narrow. "She hasn't  _done_  that to anyone, right?"  
  
"Not  _permanently_. She told me about an attempted mugging one time."  
  
"WHAT? WHERE THE  _FUCK_  WAS SECTION 2?"  
  
"Shhh, you'll wake Shinji up. I'll explain. I say  _attempted_ , because he was quickly disarmed by Kaworu."  
  
"...by  _disarmed_ , do you mean-"  
  
"And then Rei, quite violently she said, ripped out his soul and caught him in a bucket. I think she also berated Kaworu for being too violent, which was rather ironic considering what she did to him."  
  
"...o _kay_ , but what about the  _disarmed_ -"  
  
"Last I heard he reconstituted naked and disoriented, outside a police office, handcuffed to a light post with said bucket on his head. Apparently he had several warrants out for him, was on the news for a while. Baka-te Boy they called him."  
  
Misato just looked on at Asuka. "Okay. So the  _can_  handle themselves out there." She swirled her beer can. "Still, they could at least check in every now and again."  
  
The door opened, Misato craned her head. "That you, Rei and Kaworu?"  
  
"...yes."  
  
She walked in, slowly, holding a sleeping Kaworu in a bridal carry.  
  
Misato and Asuka carefully tracked her as she carefully paced to a couch, gently placing her soulmate on it.  
  
She looked towards Asuka. Shallow breathing. Wide, wet looking eyes. A slight tremble.  
  
Asuka would have to be an idiot to  _not_  notice what she was going through.  
  
"...Rei." She slid out from under Shinji and wrapped Rei into a tight hug. He remained asleep. "...tell me what happened?"  
  
Rei reciprocated this hug, desperate for the warmth of this flame. "...do you know how the soul works?"  
  
"...not really."  
  
"...when someone dies, their soul remains. it drifts aimlessly. until rebirth. based on their constitution. like a firefly."  
  
Asuka took it her stilted words, and understood. "...go on."  
  
"...we found one of his own. a wanderer. without an at-field. she... was weak."  
  
"...who did you find."  
  
She sniffed. "ramiel." Rei was increasingly leaning on Asuka for support. "asuka. do- do you know what happens when a soul cannot be reborn?"  
  
"...no." Wheels were spinning in her head, broken by a revelation. "...don't tell me-"  
  
"asuka. her soul faded into nothing. while he was holding her."  
  
A quite gasp escaped her. She held Rei tighter, holding her up and running a hand through her hair as her legs gave way.  
  
Rei wept in Asuka's grasp.  
  
Misato looked on from the table. Her motherly urges overcame her and she wrapped the duo up.  
  
Rei continued sobbing.  
  
Kaworu unconsciously curled into the fetal position, still sleeping a restless sleep.  
~~~

  
  
Rei had been stationed by Kaworu's side since they got home, resting on their bed.  
  
He stirred, for the first time since he fell asleep. It was two in the morning.  
  
"...I was wondering when you would wake." An air of relief was noticeable.  
  
He was quiet, eyes staring at the wall. "...i'm sorry, Rei..."  
  
"Don't be." She held him closer. "You're entitled to your grief. I understand, Kaworu."  
  
"...but... you were affected by my-"  
  
"Shh... I know." She cooed. "I know. It's alright Kaworu... I'll help you bare your pain."  
  
He was already tearing up again. "...i... i know she had to die. if you were to survive."  
  
"...it doesn't change what you feel though."  
  
"...no. she was still my kin."  
  
"...was this what you felt when you lost me?"  
  
"...when you were lost to me, i... i felt  _anger_. at least at first. the depression and sorrow came later... like i was about to succumb... this... was different." His eyes were still locked to the wall, unmoving. "...now it's just sorrow."  
  
"...losing a loved one would do that to you..." She continued giving comfort. "...shinji is my only kin. i didn't know that for most of my life though. and... i don't know what would happen if he was lost to me. i fear asuka would fare worse though."  
  
"...they were all brothers and sisters to me. we may have been isolated by distance, but we were still kin."  
  
"...you still communicated?"  
  
He nodded. "yeah... nothing physical. i didn't even know of my kin's  _shapes_  until i saw their images after the fact. but by then, they would've already been gone."  
  
"...who did you like?"  
  
"...well, can't really answer something like that..." He closed his eyes, thinking. "though... ramiel was always sweet. soft spoken, as you know. intelligent too, was always interested in the sciences. i wanted to meet her, but i knew i would never be able to... though, i guess i should've been careful what i wished for."  
  
"...what about the others?"  
  
"...well... i didn't really have that great a relationship with most of them, in all honesty. iruel was... odd. i could never really communicate with them successfully. i think doctor Akagi would have better success understanding them. leliel i couldn't even comprehend, they were that esoteric."  
  
He continued reminiscing about his kin. He talked and talked, all the while Rei would continue holding him close.  
  
"...and then there's Arael."  
  
The talking ceased.  
  
"...you don't have to talk about the 15th if you don't want to, Kaworu."  
  
"...she knew who i was, she  _must've_  known. but she didn't stop. i... i can't ever forgive someone doing that to me... and you, Rei."  
  
"...what if you found her, like you did Ramiel?"  
  
"...i-" The question pierced through him. "...i... i don't know. it'd be cruel to abandon her to die alone."  
  
"...even if she did those things to us."  
  
"...Ramiel made me promise, Rei. before she... faded." He strained under the emotional stress. "she... she said to do the same for her if i find any of my kin."  
  
"...you do intend on keeping that promise, right?"  
  
"Yes!" He buckled, stewing emotion suddenly breaking their dams. "She was my sister, Rei! I loved her! And she  _died_  in my hands!" Tears in his eyes. "I'm gonna carry that weight for the rest of my life, Rei."  
  
She was taken aback, looking on at him, feeling this raw emotion of his.  
  
"Rei. I fully intend on keeping my promise to Ramiel. I will find my wandering kin. And I will remain by their side until the end. Even if... even if they bought pain to me and others."  
  
She continued looking on.  
  
"...i will help you, Kaworu. I will bear your pain and sorrow, as you do."  
  
Kaworu was silent.  
  
He fell back into her. "Thank you, Rei..."  
  
"...it's the least I could do for you, Kaworu."  
  
There was quiet for a fleeting moment.  
  
"...how do you do it, Rei? You find wandering souls, and you know exactly what to do."  
  
"...it's easy to steel yourself emotionally when the wandering soul you find is a stranger. Often, these Lilum souls don't even remember who they were, or are so weak that they can't even communicate. All I can really do in those situations is to send them as they are. And... I feel sorrow for them."  
  
"...you're strong, Rei. Stronger than I am."  
  
"...I've lived more lives than anyone else. My first ended so brutally and violently it changed me. My second ended because I knew I could bear it better than anyone." Rei's emotional barriers, stressed by Kaworu's own overwhelming emotion, were beginning to buckle themselves. "My whole life, my whole  _fucking_  life, was for piloting Eva, and for being a pawn in a game I could not comprehend. I  _have_  to be strong, Kaworu. Or I would crumple under the weight of it all."  
  
"...i'm sorry, Rei..."  
  
"...don't be." She held him tighter, whispering. "...don't be..."  
~~~

  
  
"Still... I can't help but feel concerned, Misato." Ritsuko mused gently, tending to some circuitry.  
  
"Yeah... Kaworu and Rei are going through a lot emotionally right now." Its times like these that made Misato wish she could either drink on the job, or smoke outside of the bedroom. She  _could_ , but a girl's gotta have  _some_  standards.  
  
"Well... I didn't mean  _that_ , not to sound like an ass. I meant the fact that Angel souls  _persist_  for however long."  
  
"...they're harmless though, right?" Maya queried.  
  
"They appear that way. If they could do anything significant, they would've done so already... though even after death, they can still damage Kaworu's psyche..." She took a drag.  
  
"He understands why they had to die, at least. He wouldn't have piloted in the first place if he didn't. But knowing that  _doesn't_ change the fact they were, more or less, kin. I don't think it was much of an issue for him before. He wasn't involved directly until the 15th. And those two Angels caused some of his most painful experiences, so I doubt he would hold them in such high regard."  
  
"...But that all goes out the window when you  _find_  them, and they die in your arms, so to speak." Misato could relate to such a loss.  
  
"Yeah..." So could Ritsuko.  
  
"...not like we  _could_  stop him if he tries seeking them out again. Assuming there's more wandering kin out there."  
  
"...That's true, Maya. Knowing him, he'd want to seek them out. Be there for their final moments."  
  
As far as Ritsuko knew, Maya  _hasn't_  been through such a loss yet, though she got  _dangerously_  close. Indeed, someone could look at her and assume she got off lightly during Second Impact, based on her cheerful, seemingly innocent attitude alone. Then again, you could say the same of  _Misato_ , and they all know the shit  _she_  had to deal with.  
  
Then again, Maya never really talked about that sort of stuff. Maybe she had a reason not to talk about it, even with her lover.  
  
"...I don't know much about electronics, but isn't  _smoking_  while working on a machine like that a bit bad for it?"  
  
The cigarette drooped from the doctor's mouth, solder dripping from the iron as Ritsuko's train of thought derailed. "Our machines are  _more_  than capable of ignoring some smoke and ash, Misato."  
  
She turned on an attached power supply, to the fanfare of popping capacitors and the ignition of several ICs and other bespoke components, causing her to jump away. This also had the consequence of breaking the atmosphere of depression. " _Damn_ it. I will say that  _wasn't_  the fault of the smoke and ash."  
  
"Do we have another one of those things?"  
  
"...No, it's a bespoke device."  
  
"Congratulations." Misato deadpanned, a parody of her Laserdisc self.  
  
Ritsuko sighed, butting out the cigarette. "No big loss. The schematic's still on Balthasar. Somewhere. Probably would've been a better idea to go back to the drawing board instead of trying to retrofit the Lilith one."  
  
"I'm guessing that modification had something to do with looking for these... wanderers? You guys call them?"  
  
"Yeah. You know what the Recovery Device does?"  
  
"No."  
  
Ritsuko sighed. "It detects and can recover souls with no AT-Field, or after death. It's what we used with Rei."  
  
"Oh." She still sounded confused.  
  
"You don't have to understand it, Misato."  
  
"Good, cause this Met Bio stuff just goes over my head."  
  
"Even though you're the _commander_." She said flatly, glaring at the commander. "Just know it allows us to see what Rei sees, and modifying it would've allowed us to see what  _Kaworu_  sees."  
  
She threw the smoking remains of the Recovery Device into a trash can, which promptly caught fire because it was actually the paper wastebasket. "Damn it." She went for a fire extinguisher and drained it into the can. "I wonder why Murphy decided to shit on me today."  
  
"Would a movie help?"  
  
"...movie... oh yeah, speaking of that. There's still a couple more discs to go through, with that  _other_  universe."  
  
"Oh, that'd be a nice distraction." Misato commented, already going for her phone.  
  
"I'm sure the others could use a distraction as well." Maya mused, pre-emptively replacing the caps on the screen. "Considering."  
  
"...if Rei and Kaworu even want to come in today."  
~~~

  
  
The phone rang. And rang. And rang.  
  
A bare, pale arm slowly drifted from the futon, picking up the clamshell. "...commander?"  
  
Kaworu stirred, but couldn't really move too much, on account of Rei resting haphazardly on top of him.  
  
"...he's up. i'll ask." Covering the microphone with her hand, she asked. "there's another of those discs to watch, darling. you wanna come in?"  
  
He groaned. "...i'd rather come in something else, but alright."  
  
She glared at him.  
  
A soft smile creeped up on her as she allowed a few giggles to escape. "...Good to see you're getting better, dumb fish." Giving him a kiss, she went back to the phone. "Yeah, he's good. We might take our time though. Will 1600 be fine? Yes, I know. Okay."  
  
She shut the phone and threw it out of her reach, resting her head back onto Kaworu. "That was a bit inappropriate, Kaworu. What if she heard you?"  
  
"...i think I needed that rest. And comfort. I feel... better, oddly enough." He looked down at Rei. "I really appreciate you being here for me, Rei."  
  
She looked up. "You know I'd be here for you. No matter what. And I  _will_  help you with your promise, Kaworu."  
  
"...thank you." Kaworu locked lips with her.  
  
She revelled in it.  
~~~

  
  
Kaworu and Rei eventually trundled into the lab, unkempt and somewhat dishevelled.  
  
"No." She pre-empted Asuka's question, which died on her lips. "That's for later, when Kaworu's ready."  
  
"Thanks for the information." Ritsuko deadpanned.  
  
"Does that mean you two are better?" When Shinji woke up to a sobbing Asuka, he knew _something_ bad happened. "I can't believe I slept though that..."  
  
"It's alright, Shinji. Yeah. We rested for a while. I think that did us a world of good."  
  
"...I'll survive." He confided. "Life goes on, after all. I'll hold her and many of my kin in my heart, but I choose not to dwell on it. Otherwise I'd be wallowing in my own depression." They sat down, and he leant on his lover. "Rei really helped me through this."  
  
"Partners are great like that." Asuka gave her support. "Gives you someone to completely bring down your emotional walls and masks and all that stupid mental stuff we  _all_  have in droves. I'm sure you really appreciate Rei now, Kaworu."  
  
"I already did." Eyes closed. "She's done so, so much for me. I wouldn't be here, if not for her. I'd most likely be fading away... like my other kin."  
  
"...actually, I think your soul made its way to Adam. From what I could tell in the Laserdiscs." Ritsuko mused.  
  
Contemplation. "...maybe my soul wandered around Terminal, and found its way to Father when the Commander played his hand. That  _would_  explain how I appeared alongside Rei."  
  
"...that would've made you elated, Kaworu. At least in that situation."  
  
He sounded in affirmative. "It would've. I would've finally succeeded in my instinctual goal, even  _if_  it was post-mortem. And considering I would've had nothing else in that world."  
  
"Shinji didn't count?" The candle glared.  
  
"Not enough for him, obviously." The trout conceded, disappointed, distancing himself from himself. "Shame. He even said he loved you, Shinji."  
  
"You implying you  _don't_  love Shinji?" Misato jokingly queried.  
  
"There are many forms of love, Misato. I love him as a close friend of mine, which may have been what the me of the Laserdiscs was referring to. Who knows though. If we didn't already have such close and intimate relations with our respective partners, events may have played out differently. If he felt that way, of course."  
  
"Considering what I was like during that stage in the Laserdiscs, I probably would. If more out of desperation than anything else."  
  
"What about in  _our_  world, Shinji?" Asuka poked.  
  
"Well... he'd have to go through  _you_  first, wouldn't he?" He gave her a look. "I'm sure you like that exclusivity you have with me."  
  
She poked her tongue. "If I  _had_  to share you, I'd insist on sharing everyone else as well. And I mean  _everyone_."  
  
"Which would be awkward at best, considering Shinji and I's...  _family_  situation." Rei admitted.  
  
"Gods guys, the last thing we need is a love  _square_  between all of you." Maya was facepalming through the whole affair.  
  
"Don't worry. I think we're all  _very_  happy with who we have right now." Shinji defused, wanting to change the subject before anyone (him) said anything stupid. "Speaking of making someone very happy." He gave Asuka an amorous look.  
  
She bopped him on the nose. "Not  _now_ , Mister."  
  
"So are we gonna watch the movie, or are we just gonna talk  _that_  business all afternoon?" Kaji groaned.  
  
"Well,  _I_  could start talking about that." Misato teased. "Though I could always change to subject by saying Hey Kaji, I'm thinking of Germany for our wedding!" She swooned into him.  
  
"Oooh, Deutschland!" That got Asuka speaking. "I haven't been there for over a year now! That'll be a great place to get hitched! Though I have been thinking about Hawaii as well."  
  
"Are _you two_ engaged as well?" Ritsuko questioned.  
  
"Well, not exactly." Asuka shrugged, dismissively. "We've been thinking about marriage for a good while, and  _both_  our mamas have been pushing it, despite our age. But neither of us have _outright_ proposed or anything." She suddenly had a thought.  
  
A sly little smirk appeared on her face, as she craned her head to her boyfriend.  
  
"Hey Shinji, you wanna get married?"  
  
He locked up for a few seconds as his brain processed the most nonchalant proposal in history, a blush creeping up on him as his head kicked into gear. "Yeah, alright." He replied as nonchalantly as Asuka's query.  
  
She kissed him, quite vigorously too, leaving Shinji with a dumb smile as she poked her tongue at Ritsuko. "There.  _Now_  we're engaged."  
  
Everyone just looked on at them. A mixture of shock, confusion and elation.  
  
"That was a fairly understated proposal for someone like you, Asuka."  
  
A sly giggle escaped her. "I know Shinji isn't one for over the top things like that. That's for the  _wedding_ , after all!" A wide grin appeared.  
  
"Great, so we got  _two_  weddings somewhere down the line." The doctor mused in deadpan, recalling the last time she went to a wedding. "Normally I'd say you two were too young for this sort of thing, but I suppose it was only a matter of time, considering your relationship."  
  
"We  _already_  promised Misato that if we had any children before we were 24, which mind you was when Shinji's mum had  _him_ , we'd name it after her or Kaji. We have her blessing, so to speak."  
  
"Plus, our mothers have been pushing us to get married for a bit now. I think they want grandchildren."  
  
"Well, they'll just have to wait." She teased. "Because we're definitely  _not_  in any rush."  
  
"There's also us, Ritsuko." Kaworu spoke up. "Germany would be nice, Misato. I too haven't been there for quite some time now, it would be nice to experience more than what I could under SEELE."  
  
"...so that's  _three_." Ritsuko said flatly.  
  
Maya was befuddled. "Did I miss something? Why is everyone getting hitched all of a sudden?"  
  
"Well, considering we've been  _risking our lives with Eva,_ helping to stop literal  _world ending conspiracies_ , and the fact we've all been pulled through a  _personalised vat of shit_ , but no matter what we  _still_  had our partners to fall back on when said shit hit the fan, we've come to a decision that we want to spend the rest of our lives with our partners."  
  
"...well, when you put it that way, makes sense." She conceded.  
  
"Forgetting the fact that  _all_  the pilots are  _still_  under the age of majority, who will pay for these weddings?" The good doctor queried. "I doubt the taxpayer would be happy funding  _three weddings in Germany_."  
  
"At least in Germany," Asuka spoke up, "they changed the law related to that 3 or so years after Second Impact, that anyone over the age of 16 but under 18 could either get a  _guardian's_  permission, or if they're emancipated, the  _court's_  permission."  
  
"That was due to the population crash, right? People leaving or dying after Second Impact, population came tumbling down?" Kaworu continued the impromptu history lesson. "Even though Europe as a whole and our compatriots weren't hit nearly as hard as other places on Earth, especially those south of the equator, the population  _still_  suffered. So, the government of the time implemented some measures to try keeping it in check, which has apparently proven popular enough to keep."  
  
Asuka rolled on from where Kaworu stopped. "They pretty much did _anything_ to try bolstering the population. Increasing immigration, settling refugees, subsidising education and apprenticeship so people could reasonably support larger families, outright  _incentivising_  marriage and motherhood with widely reduced taxes. They even reintroduced the damn  _Mutterkreuz_!" She muttered something about the impossibility of having eight children. "It worked though. Damn well in fact."  
  
The doctor glared at the commander. "Is  _that_  why you picked Germany?"  
  
"...I didn't really think of that, to be honest." The somewhat confused commander shrugged. "I thought they could just lodge an appeal to the UN; based on the fact they're world heroes, having defeated Angels, SEELE and their monsters, and pilot the largest fuck you's on this base Earth. They're almost certainly mature enough to get married a few years earlier than usual."  
  
Sounds of agreement between the pilots capped off her argument.  
  
"Alright, but what about the funding? It's all well and good if you can get the pilots permission from the General Assembly, the Diet and the Reichstag, but they definitely wouldn't give you the  _funds_  for it."  
  
"We're not  _complete_  freeloaders, Rits. It'll be our own savings, don't worry about that." She shrugged it off, ignoring that their salary was  _also_  taxpayer funded. "Though that  _would_  mean you would be left running Tokyo-3 for a week or so, depending on how long we want to spend there."  
  
"I'm sure those two wouldn't mind some time alone." The candle suggested, to Maya's blush and Ritsuko's chuckle.  
  
"Weddings are all well and good, and I'm excited to get back to Germany myself." Kaji began. "But I don't think the TV is meant to smoke."  
  
Indeed it was. A capacitor had burst, and no one had paid any mind to it, which was quite an amazing feat in of itself.  
  
Ritsuko rolled her eyes and removed the cap, dousing it in a water trough and installing a similar capacitor in its place. The static returned. "Guess we should start watching this next film before more caps go."

* * *

 

#  You Can (Not) Advance

_Bethany_  
A: "Starting in English?"  
Re: "We could be in an American installation."  
S: "Who's the pilot though? I don't think we've seen them."  
Ri: "...Unit-05? That was... Bethany's Unit."  
Kaw: "It could always be in another location."  
Re: "This Unit appears similar to my  _new_  Unit. I see  _green_  text during the startup sequence, statuses and all that."  
Mi: "Would it be like  _our_  NT-Eva though? I wouldn't have thought they'd develop it at this stage in the timeline, considering."  
Kaj: "And what about the tubes coming out of the plugsuit she has?" He swore he could hear his voice.

  
  
_Third_  
An explosion cut off whatever speculation could be had.  
A: "What the hell is that?"  
Ri: "Acheron... this isn't Nevada or Massachusetts, this is  _definitely_  Bethany."  
Ma: "I thought they were Russian though."  
Ri: "Russia and most of Europe, sans Germany since they can support facilities all on their own, are involved in the operations of it. English would be one of the languages they use. In fact, you can see both English  _and_ Russian on their monitors."  
Misato struggled to keep a straight face at Kaji's English. "...that's pretty trash, Kaji."  
Kaj: "It's not  _that_  bad. It's probably better than what most people here could do."  
A: "Most of us prefer German anyway. English is weird." She scoffed.  
Kaw: " _That's_  the Third?" He boggled his mind.  
Ritsuko breathed a sigh of relief. "So it's  _not_  a progenitor."  
A: "It's still an  _Angel_  though, apparently one the commies found and ripped to shreds and it was  _still_ alive."  
Kaj: "That's what I was trying to say!"

  
  
_356 Step March_  
Shinji looked rather bemused at this new pilot. "She seems  _way_  too happy to be piloting an Evangelion."  
A: "She's singing songs and shit! Not even  _I'm_  this excited to get in my Evangelion, and that's got my damn mama in it!"  
Mi: "D'ya think it's  _you_ , Asuka?"  
A: "I don't  _think_  so. She doesn't look or  _sound_  like me."  
Kaj: "Again with the tubes."  
Ri: "I have no clue why their Unit-05 is like that, though it could be required to synchronise with that specific Unit." She shook her head at that. Trying to force a sync was great if you wanted to break a pilot's mind.  
Kaw: "And the  _existence_ of Unit-05?"  
Ri: "Bethany  _were_  working on a Unit-05, but once the pilot became MIA it was scrapped for parts, and what  _we_  called Unit-05 was part of the first group of MP-Eva SEELE sent."  
A: "...there's a pilot missing in action?"  
Ri: "...Nevada."  
Kaji gained a newfound interest in what was going on.

  
  
_Encounter_  
Kaw: "I am led to believe that in this continuity, the application of Angelic powers results in the appearance of a halo."  
Re: "A depiction of the AT-Field?"  
Kaw: "Possibly."  
A: "Or it could be more religious symbolism."  
Ri: "We must consider that this  _is_  probably real in another universe, if we assume  _our_  universe was fiction somewhere else."  
The English cries of the announcer echoed through the room, few people understanding it, if not for the subtitles.  
Ma: "Man they sound desperate."  
Ri: "Bethany, at least in this rendition, would have the  _opposite_  problem of us. Instead of keeping the Angel out, they'd want to keep it  _in_."  
Kaj: "Which might as well be futile."  
Ri: "Well yeah, hence why Unit-05 is trying to destroy it."  
NERV-Bethany became visible.  
S: "...an  _ocean_  base?"  
Ri: "It's more coastal in our world. Though if they wanted to contain an  _Angel_ ,  _they_  probably went for a similar Geofront style base."  
Ma: "I'm pretty sure their command facilities are on that barge  _outside_  Bethany."  
Ri: "So it's possible Bethany in that reality was specifically  _designed_  to contain an Angel, instead of being a standard research and Eva facility."

  
  
_Acheron_  
A: "Seriously though, what the  _fuck_  is wrong with her? 'Oh I'm currently getting blasted in the face by an Angel but it's  _fun so I don't care_.'"  
S: " _I_  definitely didn't find it any fun."  
Ri: "Especially considering the conditions of her Unit are deteriorating fast."  
Ma: "Man, she really was mental, wasn't she, Rits?"  
Ri: "Most of the pilots are, you realise, no offence intended to anyone. Hers was just a more... visible, sort of mental."  
Re: "Forced syncs are possible?"  
Ri: " _We_  never tried it due to the potential stresses on a pilot, but theoretically."  
Kaw: "She looks like the exact type of person to be fine during a forced sync."  
Mi: "She's definitely determined. A bit insane in her determination, but determined nevertheless."

  
  
_Self-Destruct_  
Acheron was engulfed in purple flame, as a plane left the scene.  
Mi: "Running away again, Kaji?" She prodded.  
Kaj: "The reason was probably the same, that being the delivery of Adam."  
Kaworu twitched, but didn't give away anything else but that.  
Ri: "At least the pilot got out alright. That's more than what could be said about Armisael."  
Re: "...I could've been reborn had I died. It was the preferable outcome."  
A: "You  _not_  dying would've been more preferable, Rei."  
The pilot of Unit-05 removed her mask, looking on at how the Angel and Evangelion died in the most offensive way possible.  
Ri: "...it  _is_  her."  
Ma: "Yeah, that depiction matches her file, doesn't it?"  
A: "...so  _she_  was the pilot during the Nevada incident?"  
Ri: "Yeah. Her name is Mari Makinami. She was vacationing in America, and Nevada needed a pilot for the Unit-04 test."  
A grim look on Asuka's face. "...was it quick?" She whispered.  
Ri: "...i would hope." She shook her head. "Wouldn't wish that fate on anyone."  
S: "...Makinami... isn't he that American rocket man? Who started that company that helped us during Crucifix?"  
Quiet as people thought.  
Mi: "...oh god."  
Ma: "...I talked about that with some of the Hawthorne technicians. Apparently he hasn't been heard from in over a year. they don't even know if he's alive or not, he just fell off the world."  
Mi: "...maybe that's how Oversight 02 got their hands on Hawthorne."  
Kaj: "...do you think we could get some photos of Mari? I have a source or two suggesting where he is, and I think he would appreciate it."  
Ri: "We could. I'll save some on a terminal, you'll have to develop them yourself though."  
Kaj: "That's fine."  
Kaji's actions weren't entirely motivated by a sudden burst of charity.  
~

  
  
_Graveyard_  
Kaw: "Speaking of death."  
Ri: "The memorial. Though this depiction of it is much more  _vast_  than how it was actually like."  
A: "Its rolling hills of  _gravestones_."  
S: "This happened earlier than it did in our world. Asuka was already settled in Japan by the time my father and I visited my mother's grave."  
Mi: "But he  _still_  did those things, didn't he?"  
S: "Yeah... at least now there's  _some_  imagery of her. Plus being able to communicate with her through my Eva... though  _that's_  not really going that well, isn't it?"  
Ri: "We could push forward the timeline if you want to get back to piloting."  
S: "...that depends if mother  _wants_ to."  
A: "And he  _still_  leaves you in the middle of death valley." She muttered.  
S: "I got picked up by Misato, at least."  
Ma: "That VTOL looks much more smoother than it should for an anime."  
Ri: "It's CG."  
Ma: "...Well that's a bit of a copout. Animation looks better drawn."  
Kaj: "It's probably cheaper to animate with computers than to draw every single frame."  
~

  
  
_Honesty_  
S: "...was I that averse to meeting him, Misato?"  
Mi: "Well, I didn't have to  _drag_  you. I for one thought your relationship with him was  _improving_  somewhat."  
A: "When the relationship you have with someone is literally rock bottom, it can only go up."  
S: "Even though it  _still_  went down from that point." He deadpanned.  
Kaw: "It does sound like the timeline of this is different, considering they appear to be discussing about Ramiel. Not even Asuka has made her presence known yet."  
A gun turret fell on the highway.  
Kaw: "And it appears Gaghiel will be making landfall instead of being fought in the water."  
Re: "If it even  _is_  Gaghiel."  
A: "The last Angels, except the Third, was the same."  
Kaw: "Unless Gaghiel was one of the Angels that were removed."  
~

  
  
_Clockwork_  
The Seventh Angel walked on water, solidifying the wine into ice.  
A: "Forget  _removing_  Gaghiel, they completely  _changed_  it."  
Kaw: "...indeed they have." He bemused. "This one is completely different to  _any_  of my kin."  
Ma: "Looks almost like clockwork."  
Ri: "This Angel is definitely more... abstract."  
Kaj: "We've had abstract Angels before."  
Kaw: "It appears to be an odd design. I imagine the Seventh uses its AT-Field quite a bit to support itself."  
Ri: "As long as the centre of mass was... well, centre, it would remain balanced. And that ball it has seems to act as a counterweight."  
Kaw: "I would think that ball was where its core was located."  
S: "We wouldn't know its name, right?"  
Kaworu shook his head. "I could look, but I don't recall hearing Sachiel, Shamshel or Ramiel referred to by name in this world. I doubt they even  _are_  named as they were, actually."  
Mi: "Well, as a representative of Adam,  _you_  can always name it, Kaworu."  
Kaw: "...I will have to think about that."  
~

  
  
_Task 02_  
A: "Oh shit, that's me!"  
Unit-02 dropped off the transport.  
S: "Holy crap Asuka, you're awesome in this!"  
A: "God damn, I wish  _I_  could skydive in my Eva like that."  
S: "It's quite fun."  
Asuka watched on in awe as she dodged  _everything_  the Angel threw at her, and shot at it.  
A: "Hell yeah." She was beaming. She loved seeing her do so well in battle.  
Kaw: "It wouldn't be defeated yet."  
A: "Oh hell no. Wonder if  _she_  knows that though."  
Mi: "I definitely knew that."  
The Angel rematerialised, revealing its core. Asuka shot at it, the shots embedding themselves in the AT-Field.  
A: "What is she doing..."  
Asuka thrust her boot into the spikes she shot, piercing through the AT-Field and destroying the core.  
The Angel erupted into a crucifix, a  _triple_  rainbow all the way across the sky.  
Asuka simply stared at the screen, wide eyed, gaping mouth.  
She was joined by most of the crew.  
A: "Oh. My. God." She was still shell-shocked. "I am  _fucking awesome in this_!!! Holy  _shit_ , I just completely  _destroyed_  that Angel _solo_! It never stood a damn  _chance_!"  
Re: "I don't know how it's possible for Unit-00 to appear irritated, but it does."  
A: "Well, she's probably just as arrogant as  _I_  was, she'd probably be even  _more so_  considering she just  _trashed_  that Angel. And... considering I accidentally trashed Misato's car."  
Misato pouted in jest. "It was a good car too."  
~

  
  
_Shikinami_  
A: "I look  _fine_  in that suit." She smirked. "Would like her to be less arrogant, but considering  _I_  was quite a bit arrogant at this point in time."  
Mi: "If our world was  _fictional_ , I'd call that character development."  
A: "Hardy har." She sardonically spoke. "Maybe Shinji and I will get together this time."  
Re: "You think Anno would let you have some happiness?"  
A: "No, not really." She was flippant. "Who even knows if I'll get out of this alive and uninjured this time round." She listened on a bit more. "Hang on a minute,  _Shikinami?_  Where the fuck did  _that_  come from?"  
Kaj: "Sounds deliberate. Though why would they change your last name from Soryu to Shikinami?"  
A: "I mean, it's still Japanese, so I still have that dual heritage."  
Mi: "I don't think  _this_  Asuka will be much like you were, Asuka. Shikinami's a damn  _captain_  in the European Air Force."  
A: "She WHAT? No wonder I'm more badass in that universe, I pilot damn  _fighter jets_! That's awesome! Still not as awesome as piloting an Eva, but still awesome!"  
S: "You must've gone into the armed forces instead of university then."  
A: "Y'know, I actually had a choice between the two, alongside my responsibilities for NERV. Either of them would've been pretty great when it came to developing my skills with my Eva, but I chose the education."  
Mi: "You were already a part of NERV, so you already  _had_  a military background."  
A: "Exactly my thinking at the time." She smirked. "Though having a rank other than pilot would be nice."  
Shikinami immediately started abusing the Shinji of the show.  
Asuka gave a disappointed sigh. "...god damn it all, I'm even  _more_  abusive to you than  _I_  was back in the day."  
Mi: "Really showing off your military background."  
~

  
  
_Station_  
Kaj: "Thanks for that, Shinji." He thanked, tongue in cheek.  
Mi: "That's quite bold of you, carrying  _Adam_  onto a  _public train station in Tokyo-3_."  
Kaji snorted. "Idiotic, I know.  _I_  wouldn't transport the cause of Second Impact via public transport, but maybe SEELE are more incompetent in that universe. Least my personality is still the same."  
Shinji was flat as a blin. "Embarrassing?"  
Mi: "Womanising?"  
Re: "So the destruction of the Third and Unit-05 was planned."  
Kaw: "What would destroying Unit-05 have accomplished?"  
Ri: "Freed up resources for  _us_."  
Ma: "Yeah, it's actually quite devious of them."  
Kaw: "They also know of new Unit."  
Mi: "The Lunar Unit?"  
Kaw: "Yes. I think Kaji is correct in saying SEELE are more inept in this rendition."  
Kaj: "That or I'm more skilled in my  _activities_."  
Kaw: "That would still indicate a lack of action on SEELE's part however. Though I must admit, an Angel breaking free and the destruction of Unit-05 would distract them better than what  _actually_  happened."  
The briefcase opened. Kaworu steeled himself.

  
  
_Guidepost_  
Kaw: "...that is  _not_  father. What is that?"  
Kaj: "He said it. The Key of Nebuchadnezzar."  
Kaw: "...Babylon? Symbolically it fits."  
Ritsuko began the speculation inherent for this film. "It could just be this universe's substitute for Adam. It was delivered to Gendo in the same way, and it appears to factor into his plans somehow."  
Kaw: "...we still don't know if Adam exists in this world then."  
A: "I would think if the Angels existed, Adam would in turn."  
Mi: "And you're  _still_  womanising."  
Kaj: "Odds are, we still fell out."  
Ri: "You were much  _less_  hands on in our world. I thought it a shame, really."  
Kaj: "Well, if I knew."  
Misato gave him a glare that matched her movie counterpart.  
Kaj: "Of course, Misato here would've probably torn the  _both_  of us to shreds."  
Mi: "No, just you."  
Kaj: "Would've torn  _me_  to shreds."  
~

  
  
_Moving Day_  
A: "Well, good to see we still ended up under the same roof."  
Kaj: "This is gonna be fun to witness."  
Mi: "You should've been there  _in person_."  
S: "Is it alright for me to say you look quite nice in that, Asuka?"  
A: "Yes, because I  _do_  look quite nice in that nightdress." She glared at the screen. "Maybe a bit  _too_  nice."  
Ma: "...it's a bit revealing, is it not?"  
A: "Yeah, but knowing me, she probably does it to show off herself. Plus, surprisingly it's not  _as_  bad as the Laserdiscs could be. At least I'm  _clothed_."  
The scene cut to Rei. "...though Rei's still languishing in squalor."  
Re: "...it wasn't a great place to be. Though it wasn't like I cared."  
A: "All the while we were living it up. We should've known-"  
Re: "It's fine, Asuka. I know you care, otherwise you would not have helped me become who I am today."  
~

  
  
_Living it up_  
A: "Oh for fucks sake, Khara, you were doing so well when it came to  _not_  sexualising the teenaged girl." She muttered through teeth.  
S: "At least now  _you_  get to experience what  _I_  went through when I discovered Pen-Pen."  
Maya hid her face in second hand embarrassment. Kaji averted his eyes as soon as he felt Misato's glare. Kaworu did exactly the same thing when he felt Rei's  _soul_  glaring into his  _existence._  
Mi: "Oh come on, that's barely even _covering_  now."  
A: "That's even  _more_  perverse than  _Gainax_  ever did! What the fuck?!"  
Ri: "Why do you have a  _straw_  coming out of a beer can?"  
A: "It's probably for Pen-Pen, knowing Misato."  
Mi: "Oi! He can drink out of the can just fine, thank you very much."  
Ri: "That doesn't exactly help your case, Misato."  
The Shinji of the show turned to Shikinami.  
Mi: "That would've been a deadly mistake." She deadpanned.  
Shikinami roundhouse kicked the boy who made the deadly mistake of turning his head.  
Mi: "I was  _joking,_  Asuka!"  
A: "Jesus Christ, it wasn't even his  _fault_."  
S: "Though at that stage, if that happened, you probably would've done the same."  
A: "Most likely, let’s be honest. Hell,  _you_  probably would've thought it was worth it."  
K: "Can we look now?"  
Ma: "Is it over?"  
~

  
  
_Rest_  
Misato cringed at herself. "Oooh, that isn't very flattering."  
A: "' _Isn't very flattering_ '?" She incredulously quoted. "Do you want me to  _analyse_  everything that's  _wrong with you_?"  
That didn't help. "I don't remember _ever_ being like that."  
Kaj: "You obviously forgot about college then."  
Mi: " _Everyone_  was like that at college, Kaji. Even  _Ritsuko_."  
Ri: "Not to that extent." She defended.  
Asuka immediately became disgusted with herself when she saw Shikinami play with that accursed doll. "What the  _fuck_  am I doing with that  _doll_? I  _hate_  dolls!" She spat bitterness at the screen.  
Re: " _You_  hate dolls. Shikinami is different in that regard."  
Kaw: "In many regards, Shikinami is different."  
A: "...we- we don't know her background, do we?"  
Re: "Not yet. We may find out eventually."  
A: "...you all know why I hate dolls so much."  
There was no verbal acknowledgement to her query.  
"...maybe Shikinami never had to go through that."  
~

  
  
_Mirror_  
Ri: "Well, that infrastructure is still the same."  
S: "So  _that's_  how you get sunlight in the Geofront."  
Ri: "It would've been wildly unfeasible to light the whole Geofront  _without_  such mechanism. I'm not surprised _this_ is the same."  
Kaw: "I don't think they ever did show us how Tokyo-3 was like outside of NERV."  
Ma: "We saw me and some of the others do laundry I suppose. Speaking of me, _there's_ me now."  
Ri: "Making your way to work, I suppose."  
Ma: "Definitely. It's much more convenient living in the Geofront though. Not like I got out much anyway."  
Mi: "Did  _those_  boys deserve a kick, Asuka?"  
A: "They annoyed me. She would've thought yes. At least when  _I_  bashed boys, it was those who didn't know what no meant."  
S: "You didn't have a portable _that_ early, did you?"  
Asuka shrugged. "I bought it after the SEELE war."  
Kaw: "I think the WonderSwan is supposed to paint Shikinami as a loner figure."  
Re: "Like the SDAT paints Shinji as a loner."  
A: "...so  _she's_  just as lonesome as I was then." She sighed. "Hopefully she can connect with Shinji. Although considering she's been abusing him quite a bit so far..."  
Mi: "At least you guys were allowed on that field trip."  
~

  
  
_Whalers on the Moon_  
Ri: "Looks like we might get an explanation on what the hell's going on at the Moon in that world."  
Kaw: "Where would that bloodstain come from?"  
Re: "It's probably a river of LCL. We must consider LCL is  _red_  in that world."  
Ma: "...Tabgha base."  
Ri: "Non-existent. Unless there's a SEELE operation of that name."  
Kaw: "Non-existent.  _Tabgha_  is believed to be where Jesus of Nazareth reassembled the disciples, and where Saint Peter was made an Apostle."  
A: "So more symbolism."  
Kaw: "Yes."  
Mi: "So  _both_  commanders were able to get to the damn Moon _that_  easily?"  
Kaj: "Their rocket looked odd. It's not like the SSTO's we use for space travel normally."  
Mi: "They're  _useless_  for space travel outside of LEO. They're more like glorified planes."  
Ri: "As was said last time, we don't know of their technological progress. They're much further along than we are, hence the relative ease of space travel makes sense."  
S: "So easy they could just decide to  _go to the Moon_ , where us at NERV had to collaborate with America and establish such a large operation just to get into  _orbit_  around the Moon."  
A: "Though it's not like they were  _sending an Evangelion._ "  
S: "What about the Evangelion  _on the Moon_?"  
A: "Well, that's being  _constructed_  on the Moon. Though they'd still have to send it to Earth eventually."  
Kaw: "And it sounds like the commanders are suspicious of SEELE's intentions with said Evangelion."  
Mi: "No shit." She deadpanned. " _We_  should be suspicious of  _our_  SEELE's intentions, since we know both our universes share certain elements. Who knows if the Mark series of Evangelion is the same or not."  
Kaj: "We can't really know  _until_  they deploy such a system though."

  
  
_Lance_  
Several large ships were towing a giant object, wrapped in a green fabric. It was immediately obvious what it was.  
Kaw: "There was no other Lance other than the Lance of Longinus. Lilith's Lance is missing or destroyed, and expeditions to find it have come up short."  
A: "It could always be a false Lance, like what the MP-Eva have."  
S: "In a deployed state though?"  
Asuka shrugged. "The design could always be different. We saw in the opening to this that  _Unit-05_  had a similar weapon, that wasn't exactly effective."  
Re: "Though there is always the possibility it's  _Lilith's_  Lance, in a complete state."  
Kaw: "A possibility. But just that. Until we get more information at least."  
Ri: "It would have a name though, if it was a 'proper' Lance."  
Kaworu thought as he saw himself, still shirtless but now wearing pants at least. He could tell Rei was pleased with the sight. "... _Longinus_  was the name attributed to the nameless Roman soldier who pierced Jesus of Nazareth's side while he was crucified."  
Ma: "Wasn't there another Longinus though? Who were the people who assassinated Julius Caesar?"  
Kaworu thought to his Shakespearian knowledge. "...Marcus Junius Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longin- Ohhhh, nice catch Ibuki."  
Maya gave a chuckle. "If they want to make a comparison between the two Lances, then they would surely name the other Lance the Lance of Gaius."  
Ri: "Or Cassius."  
Ma: " _Or_  Cassius."  
~

  
  
_Marine_  
Mi: "They would've never had to build that if things happened like they did in  _our_  world."  
A: "Yeah. I still find it odd that  _all_  the oceans turned red, instead of just around Antarctica."  
Ri: "That just proves it then, that world has gone through a much more severe Second Impact than  _ours_."  
Ma: "I just hope there's still fish in that world."  
Ri: "Well I'm sure there's still  _some_  life in the oceans of that world, outside of Antarctica. Otherwise we would've been completely  _fucked_ , considering most of our produce comes from the  _ocean_."  
Mi: " _Pen-Pen_  got to go as well?"

  
  
_Decontamination_  
A: "This seems excessive. Even with  _our_  decontamination for the Simulation Bodies, we only had to go through one round."  
S: "Least we aren't  _completely_  naked this time around."  
A: "I would've outright  _refused_  around those stooges."  
Ri: "Considering how obstinate you were even around your fellow  _pilots_."  
A: "Of course I'd be obstinate to being  _paraded around naked_. You would too if  _you_  were, like what happened in the Laserdiscs."  
Ritsuko twitched.  _'She doesn't know, don't shout at her. She doesn't know, **don't. shout. at her.** '_  
A: "And it's not like I had as good a relationship with Shinji at that time."  
Mi: "Nowadays, you definitely wouldn't mind being paraded around naked in front of  _him_."  
A: " _He_  has the advantage of being the love of my life though."  
Ritsuko was snapped out of it by a small detail. "Wait a minute,  _why_  can they differentiate between  _people_  and  _birds._ "  
S: "That's actually a pretty nice aquarium."  
Mi: "That's probably why they allowed Pen-Pen in." She smiled at that Pen-Pen's excitement and joy at meeting (and commanding) his other penguin kin.  
A: "And I just sit alone playing my games. Man she's worse than  _Shinji_ was, at least  _he's_  making an effort to  _talk._ "  
Re: "...i think I know why I'm interested in that tank."  
Kaw: "...not just for the fish."

  
  
_Feast_  
A: "It's good to see you're still a great cook, Shinji."  
S: "Compared to what Misato can cook,  _anyone_  making  _anything_  would be better by default."  
Misato went to defend herself, before realising  _she_  wouldn't eat her food if she didn't have to. "Fair enough. What Kaji said is right though."  
A: "I thought it was the best way to a  _man's_  heart was through their stomach, but I guess _that’s_ universal."  
Ri: "Nothing beats good food. And Maya makes some pretty decent stuff."  
She blushed. "I'm not  _that_  great at it."  
Ri: "Better than I am at least. Though we usually just get cafeteria food anyway, don't we?"  
Misato giggled at the screen. "That's definitely Pen-Pen."  
A: "...I feel like that Shinji is going for  _that_  Rei more."  
Kaj: "Considering you two don't talk much, and you've abused him more than in the Laserdiscs."  
A: "...god damn it, she's making  _more_  mistakes. Not to insult you or anything, Rei."  
Re: "It's fine. It can be weird seeing your partner  _not_  go for you in something like this."  
Shinji reached out for Asuka's hand. "You know for a fact I'm yours, Asuka."  
A: "...I know." She grabbed for it. "...you know how I'm like when it comes to that sort of stuff, Shinji."

  
  
_Polar Orbit_  
They bore witness to the complete circular clusterfuck that was formerly known as Antarctica.  
Mi: "Holy shit. Antarctica got shafted  _hard_  in our world, but that's  _completely_  off the scale."  
Ma: "What even  _is_  that? I know for a fact that isn't how Antarctica looks like in  _our_  world."  
Ri: "I don't know. But we know more about Second Impact I suppose."  
S: "It's like a black hole, especially if what they said was true."  
Kaw: "...I'm not sure of that mechanism as well. It's possible that there are additional consequences to an Impact or Instrumentality event in this world."  
Ri: "I still saw  _some_  of the Antarctic landmass though, so surely it couldn't have been that bad... wait a minute, there's  _nothing_  in that red water? How the hell did we even  _survive_?"  
Ma: "Somehow." She shrugged.  
Mi: "We would've been hard pressed to do so though."  
Kaw: "Out of all the species that could survive such catastrophes, it's humanity."  
~

  
  
_Impact_  
The Second Impact of that world played out.  
Ri: "...that  _does_  look much more severe than  _our_  world."  
Kaw: "...who... who are those beings..."  
Re: "...Adam, maybe. Or  _Adams_  in this case."  
Misato looked on, at herself. "...thats... that's him again."  
He was vaporised.  
They fell silent.  
Ri: "...Misato? Are you alright?"  
She stared on at the screen as Kaji explained her.  
A: "...misato?"  
She got up, and dragged Kaji out.  
The group tracked her as they left the room.  
Ritsuko paused the film. "...poor thing."  
Ma: "...i think that was even  _more_  violent than in the Laserdiscs."  
Kaw: "...it was." He lamented, as his hand drifted to Rei. "The capsule of  _our_  Misato was closed, and she was knocked out beforehand.  _This_  rendition. Misato was  _there_ , alongside her father, to witness Second Impact, and she saw..."  
Maya started sobbing. Ritsuko wrapped her up.  
A: "...jesus christ."  
~~~

  
  
The door shut and locked. The safelight illuminated, bathing Misato's tormented face in a dim glow.  
  
"...Misa-"  
  
She finally broke. She fell into his arms and broke.  
  
He simply held her up and close, allowing her to let it all out.  
  
She wailed.  
  
Misato wasn't sure why she was reacting in such a way, especially since she  _already_  witnessed her father's demise, and secretly steeled herself for such a thing again with this new continuity.  
  
Maybe it was the simple fact of seeing her father die in such a horrible fashion, even more horrible than in reality. Right in front of her too.  
  
Or maybe it was because her mind unconsciously put Kaji's face over her father's, and she was simply unable to comprehend the fact that he could die.  
  
Her thinking about the combination of both scenarios didn't help.  
  
"...it's okay, Misato... let it out..."  
  
And she continued thinking about those scenarios. They had been creeping into her thoughts. Her dreams. She had dealt with them prior, but they really picked up once she saw those damned Laserdiscs, but Misato knows they're nothing but thoughts. They couldn't harm her. Kaji was fine in the real world.  
  
She thought herself an idiot. She had become overly reliant on Ryoji Kaji for support. He was her anchor. Like Asuka and Shinji. Or Rei and Kaworu. They had all confided in her that, if they were to lose their partners, they might not be able to go on. And now she had to face the real possibility that  _she_  was just like them. She was  _devastated_  when she saw him die on screen. And that was  _fiction_. She feared what would happen if he was ripped away from her.  
  
"...R-Ryoji... I...i-"  
  
"...shhh..." He continued holding her. It must've been bad if she referred to him with that name.  
  
"...i'm sorry..." She eventually meeked out.  
  
"...don't be."  
  
"...ryoji... i don't know what i find more distressing."  
  
He listened on.  
  
"...the fact i saw my father die in such a brutal way..."  
  
A pause.  
  
"...or the fact i saw you."  
~~~

  
  
It felt like a while since Misato and Kaji made their leave.  
  
"...this happened a lot when you watched the Laserdiscs, did it?" Maya finally broke the silence, having settled.  
  
"...yeah. This is normal." Asuka wistfully lamented, hand in hand with Shinji. "She wasn't the only person to go through that. Those episodes after Arael. They were  _hard_  on me. So, so hard on me, and by extension, Shinji. Bad memories. Seeing myself get shafted so hard, I end up  _catatonic_." She sighed. "It's tough, y'know."  
  
"I had to see myself get increasingly shafted too. Eventually culminating in me ending the world due to my own suicidal tendencies."  
  
"...I bore witness to my own death." Ritsuko winced at Rei's remark.  
  
"...so did I. In the  _single_  episode I was in. And even though I was in but one episode and the movie, I was  _still_  emotionally distressed by not only my kin's demises, but by also seeing my father."  
  
"And that's not even mentioning the fact that  _their_  distress becomes  _our_  distress." Asuka continued. "I'm sure Misato told you about how we often had to take breaks. I know for a fact you two had to take a break at least once."  
  
The doctor and her partner took that in. Ritsuko steeled herself. "...and it was exactly where Misato suggested."  
  
"...even I went through a bit of emotions." Maya joined in the roundtable of broken people. "Seeing Rits break down like she did. Seeing her get shafted like she did. Seeing her..." The word caught in her mouth. "die. and not being able to do anything."  
  
"...sounds like we've all been handed a platter of shit with those Laserdiscs." Asuka stated the obvious.  
  
"Though it looks like you guys got shafted harder than us." Ritsuko also stated the obvious.  
  
"Fate obviously has it out for us." The flame snarked. "At least  _we_  were able to give a big fuck you to fate and carve out our own happiness."  
  
"That holds especially true for me." The fish remarked. "My role was foretold in the scrolls. Me going against them was to go against what was considered prophecy."  
  
"But you did." Rei rested on him. There wasn't much else going on, since they were still waiting on Misato and Kaji.  
  
The room fell into a comfortable silence. They all settled in on their partners, resting.  
  
The blowing of capacitors broke through this silence.  
~~~

  
  
Kaji was sitting against the locked door, and Misato sitting against him, the safelight continuing to illuminate them. Arms wrapped around her.  
  
They weren't sure how long they spent like this. But it's not like it mattered too much.  
  
"y'know, Ryoji? I developed a few photos for Shinji here. From the discs."  
  
"...were they of his mother?"  
  
"...yeah. I saw how he reacted to her image. I thought he would appreciate having something physical of her. Since there's still not really any images of her."  
  
"...did you give them to him yet?"  
  
She shook her head. "I was planning it as a Christmas gift. Though... with recent developments, I don't know if he'd appreciate it as much as he would've."  
  
"...i think he'd still like to have  _something_  other than Unit-01 to remember her by."  
  
"...that's what you're thinking of doing with Mari, isn't it? since you seem to know Mr Makinami."  
  
"Yeah. He's an old friend."  
  
Eyes narrowed. "...who may or may not be Oversight 02." She poked.  
  
"You have a keen mind, Misato." He gave a single chuckle, beginning to elaborate on his relationship with this enigmatic person. "He disappeared from public after the Nevada incident, though he's continuing to work from the shadows, once with the CIA but now with Oversight. Fighting SEELE. We have a working relationship in that regard, even before the establishment of Oversight. I give him information, he gives me resources. He gives _me_ information, I give him resources. Symbiosis."  
  
"...so it makes sense he aligned himself with NERV."  
  
"Operation Crucifix was a big break for him. He now has valuable allies in NERV, cemented his place as a core member of Oversight, and has gained even  _more_  resources. And needless to say, he will use  _all_  of that to ensure SEELE never step foot on Earth ever again."  
  
"...and he did this all because they took his daughter away."  
  
"...you know how vast the love of a parent is, Misato. He would do anything to get her back. Especially since his wife would've already been taken."  
  
The room fell silent as Misato thought. Maybe she should allow Hawthorne some concessions, at this revelation. "...we should probably get back to where the others are."  
  
"...feeling better?"  
  
"...somewhat." She got up. "No use keeping the others waiting. We got a movie to watch."  
~~~

  
  
They arrived back in the lab, eventually.  
  
"...you feeling better, Misato?" Rits queried her old friend.  
  
A nod in reply. "Yeah. At least enough to function."  
  
"Like the rest of us then."  
  
A few grim chuckles escaped her. "I see the others are using the extra time to their advantage."  
  
All four pilots were asleep.  
  
"We left them be, Misato. They can always use a bit of rest, with their workloads and that. Plus, they look cute."  
  
Misato chuckled. She remembered being able to sleep on a dime like that.  _Without_  the aid of alcohol.  
  
So, she got them stirred and ready to continue watching.  
~~~

  
  
_Orbital_  
Kaw: "This Angel is odd as well."  
Re: "It reminds me of Leliel."  
Ri: "That one would be too high to be effective however, if it was indeed Leliel or akin to Leliel."  
Kaw: "But this Angel is appearing to bombard NERV, like how Sahaquiel attempted."  
A: "Sahaquiel was never able to  _bend light_  though."  
Kaw: "His destruction would've still been significant however, had he succeeded."  
Kaj: "As it would be, considering that was their goal."  
Ma: "The plan would still be similar though, I'd think. Evacuate everyone, and hope we could catch it."  
S: "Even if this one seems even more powerful."  
A: "That seems to be a thing in this continuity." She deadpanned.  
Kaw: "...if this being  _is_  Sahaquiel, then that means Gaghiel, Israfel, Sandalphon and Matarael are all missing."  
Asuka deadpanned, "And along with it some major developments."  
Ri: "One of them would've been replaced by the clockwork Angel. But that still leaves three Angels MIA."  
~

  
  
_Colonel_  
A: "Looks like you got a promotion."  
Mi: "Shame we had to find out during an  _argument_."  
Ri: "To be fair, it was a pretty absurd plan."  
Mi: "I didn't see anyone else come up with anything better."  
Kaw: "Anything would be better than laying down and dying, after all."  
Mi: "Exactly. We only lose if we give up. As long as we keep trying, victory is assured."  
Re: "This plan is still based on 'women's intuition' however."  
S: "Maybe we get offered  _steak_  again." He snarked.  
~

  
  
_Preparation_  
Re: "Huh. Unit-00 never got refitted with new armour."  
A: "I knew it looked off. It was refitted because of Ramiel, was it?"  
Re: "Yes."  
Mi: "The damage to the old armour was considered too extreme to salvage it, so we spent a while fitting it with new plates. Hence why it wasn't in action for quite some time, even up to  _Israfel_  we would've been hard-pressed sortieing it."  
Ri: "And he already suspects something was up with the Evangelion."  
S: "It's accurate, I suppose. Not sure if it was around the same time, but I did start suspecting  _something_."

  
  
_Racing Mode_  
A: "This was  _fun_."  
S: "Not every day you go for a marathon run in your Evangelion."  
Ma: "...Doesn't racing mode only give  _one_  minute of power?"  
Ri: "Not in that continuity."  
A: "So their Eva are better than ours?"  
Ri: "Your Eva has an  _S2_  in it, Asuka. By  _default_  it's better than any of the ones in that world  _or_  our world, unless they  _also_  have an S2."  
A: "Still though, a regular Eva only gets 5 minutes on  _standard_. And they're obviously on racing."  
Kaw: "We do know their technology is more advanced than our world's. It's definitely possible they have made advancements in battery and capacitor technology."  
Ri: "Indeed. It's a shame we don't really know the mechanisms of this technology."  
Kaj: "I'm sure you two can direct the other NERV branches to focus on developing technologies like that, considering you have resources."  
Mi: "And the patents for such things would be valuable sources of income."

  
  
_Unravel_  
S: "Alright, that's pretty neat."  
A: "You went past the damn  _sound barrier_ , Shinji. That's  _more_  than pretty neat."  
Mi: "It's pretty  _collateral damage_ , that's what."  
A: "NERV could pay for a bit of collateral. I don't think we've ever been that fast."  
Kaworu looked on as Sahaquiel unfurled. "Woah."  
Re: "It  _is_  Sahaquiel."  
Kaw: "He looks much more... iridescent."  
Shinji caught Sahaquiel, and was immediately attacked.  
S: "Okay, it didn't do  _that._ "  
Ri: "This Sahaquiel is more formidable than our Sahaquiel. Once we caught it, it wasn't able to do much."  
Kaw: "But this rendition of him is able to fight off attempts at interception."  
A: "That seems to be a thing in that continuity." She snarked.  
Rei and Asuka worked together to destroy the Angel.  
Re: "We still managed." She gave a small smile.  
A: "Hell yeah, we all make a great team. And I'm sure if Kaworu was there instead of on the Moon, we'd be unstoppable!"  
A literal tsunami of blood flooded Tokyo-3. Maya gagged.  
Mi: "Okay, there eventually becomes a point where the Angel exploding into blood becomes more of a  _problem_  than a solution.  
A: "You know what's one of the best feelings in the world? After a long battle, just doing nothing in the plug for a good while."  
Re: "Especially after an exhausting battle, like Sahaquiel was."  
S: "Overall though, Sahaquiel was mostly the same, wasn't it?"  
Kaw: "Even down to the way your father complemented you."  
A: "...i don't remember being like that after Sahaquiel though."  
~

  
  
_Sleepless Night_  
Asuka rolled her eyes. "Fucking perverted Khara."  
Kaworu averted his eyes instinctively.  
A: "...though it sounds like  _I'm_  the one going through the lonely introspectiveness this time around."  
S: "...with how Shikinami's like."  
A: "...yeah. She doesn't really know how to make friends at all. At least  _I_  had Hikari before I really got to know you lot. She has  _no one_ , at least according to her. Not even Kaji."  
She fell into Shinji's bed.  
Mi: "You still found a way into his bed though."  
A: "It looked even more deliberate. Though... she probably just wants company. I'm kind of the same way." She thought. "Going lone wolf for one reason or another, driving others away, thinking you're completely fine. But then you become lonely."  
S: "...we all have experiences with that, Asuka. But at least  _we_  were able to break free of that loneliness."  
Re: "...and it looks like Shikinami is on the way to breaking free of her own loneliness as well."  
A: "...she still has a long way to go. But... maybe. Hopefully she won't make the same mistakes I did."  
~

  
  
_Quarrel_  
Asuka rolled her eyes again. "That's still the same too."  
S: "Might as well be a universal constant at this point."  
Kaw: "There's plenty of events that have remained the same, despite the differing universes. I'm sure if there is more material involving us, it will contain similar scenes as well."  
Mi: "Well that would be brilliant." She deadpanned. "'Here's more on how everyone completely fucked up the world.'"  
Re: "I'm sure there would be  _some_  worlds where we didn't  _completely_  mess things up.  _This_  world is a good example of that."  
Kaj: "Even though our world is currently so far the  _exception_."  
A: "Actually, I think things seems to be getting a bit better in  _that_  world now."  
S: "Just wait." He said flatly.  
Ma: "Not very optimistic?"  
S: "Gods no. I'm gonna get close with Asuka and Rei, then something will happen that rips them away from me and completely destroys my emotional state. It's what happened in the Laserdiscs, it's what'll happen here."  
Kaw: "Once bitten, twice shy."  
S: "Pretty much. I don't expect anything good to happen, especially since it feels like we still got quite a bit of the movie to go."  
~

  
  
_Tank Girl_  
Re: "...this is still the same. Although I never had to wear a collar in the tube."  
Ri: "The dummy plug is still a thing then."  
Mi: "Ah Christ. When would Bardiel be?"  
Kaw: "After Sahaquiel was Iruel, Leliel and Bardiel. But we don't know for sure if  _any_  of them will be omitted or not in this world."  
Re: "The mechanism looks different too. Less..."  
A: "Industrial?"  
Re: "Yes. It looks more... alien."  
Ri: "...and by  _eat_ , he meant take you out for dinner." She was internally disgusted with herself at the hint of jealousy she inadvertently had in her tone.  
Re: "I doubt that was the context, despite his character."  
A: "He did see Yui in you though, as the film so  _helpfully_  pointed out." The last part was spoken though teeth.  
Re: "He did. He never attempted anything like that though."  
Kaw: "Good." Everyone knows Kaworu would've ripped his soul out of Unit-01 and perform unpleasant acts on it, even if it was  _implied_  he attempted anything.  
Ma: "He's not very talkative, is he?"  
~

  
  
_Harmonics_  
A: "See? Even Misato was bored during those sync tests!"  
Ri: "Harmonics."  
Mi: "So they  _are_  different."  
Ri: "Of course they are. Harmonics is for aspects like plug depth and pilot aptitude. Sync tests are for testing the sync ratios between pilot and their Eva."  
A: "Well, at least with the sync tests we can talk with our Eva. Harmonics we can't do much other than sit down and wait."  
Ri: "Such is life as a pilot."  
Ma: "We don't have that vast a facility for fixing our Units. We usually just fix them in the cages, don't we?"  
Mi: "The terms of the Vatican Treaty seem different too."  
Ri: "Forgetting the fact the Vatican Treaty was ratified  _after_  the SEELE war. And allowed  _five_  Eva units per country, with limitations on transporting Eva between countries."  
A: "So  _that's_  the limit Misato referred to."  
Kaw: "Huh. I find it odd how  _that_  aspect of our world existed independently in the continuity we're watching."  
Re: "The Treaty was not a thing in the Laserdiscs as well, hence why they could have three Units deployed during Bardiel, despite their failure. It's possible the other continuity we're watching imported the Treaty from  _our_  world."  
A: "Why only  _three_  Evangelion though? Surely the more the better?"  
Kaj: "Probably the same reason for  _our_  Vatican. So no one country has a monopoly on Eva. Only the other world is much more strict in that regard."  
Ritsuko sighed. "Politics."  
~

  
  
_Parachute_  
S: "Good to see I'm  _still_  a lone- hang on."  
The girl crashed into Shinji.  
A: "...That's goddamn  _Makinami!_  From the opening!"  
Mi: "Been a while since we've seen her, but what the hell is she doing in Tokyo-3? Better yet, the  _school?_ "  
A: "And  _why the fuck_  is she immediately thrusting her  _breasts_  into  _my Shinji?_ "  
They laughed. Shinji's incandescence was starting.  
Re: "Not to mention the compromising position they're currently in."  
A: "I probably shouldn't be angry, considering it seemed to be an accident."  
Mi: "You are though." The obvious was stated.  
A: "Hell yeah I am! And her  _showing off her ass_  while looking for her glasses isn't helping!"  
The laughter continued.  
Kaj: "She meant to be a spy of some kind?"  
Ma: "Not a very  _covert_  spy in that case."  
A: "Especially since she appears to be wearing her  _Interface Headset_ , like I used to do all the time."  
S: "So, she's obsessed with piloting Eva in that case. She'll probably try making her way down to NERV then."  
They looked uncomfortably on as Mari sniffed Shinji.  
S: "Man she is weird."  
Mi: "Was  _our_  Makinami this odd?"  
Ritsuko shrugged. "Bethany never mentioned  _smelling others_ , but then again,  _who would mention that_."  
A: "Man, I really want to rip her head off now."  
Kaj: "Your opinion of her seems to have degenerated quickly."  
A: "Kaji, she more or less  _thrusts herself_  onto Shinji,  _immediately_  after she sees him. Of  _course_  I'd be angry at her."

  
  
_Coffee_  
A: "What we said still applies, Shinji."  
Kaj: "I wasn't  _this_  direct though."  
Shinji screamed.  
A: "You flirted more with  _him_  than you did with _me_ , Kaji." She deadpanned.  
Kaji looked shocked. "Alright, I  _definitely_  didn't do that. That's a bit weird."  
Mi: "You don't say."  
A: "You even called going to that melon patch a  _date_!"  
Kaji simply groaned.  
Ri: "Sounds like you're not only a  _womaniser_ , Kaji." She teased.  
Kaj: "I mean, I never really  _tried_  on men. And I'm probably not gonna try  _too_  hard in the future." He looked at Misato.  
Mi: "That's probably the best I'm gonna get out of you." She teased.  
~

  
  
_Cooking_  
Re: "I don't even know if the gas  _worked_  at my old apartment."  
A: "Not like you had to use it back there. Did you even have electricity?"  
Re: "...I don't remember. I had water at least."  
Mi: "Those are still unacceptable conditions though."  
Kaw: "...you look particularly ominous with that knife."  
Rei rolled her eyes. "Not like I  _need_  a knife."  
Ma: "Well, would you look at that. More slice of life."  
Kaw: "And it looks like you're coming out of your shell more, Rei."  
A: "See? Things are getting better. She's coming out of her shell."  
S: "Even though the relationship between you two is still one of competition for  _me_."  
Asuka shrugged. "One step at a time, Shinji."

  
  
_Cosmo_  
Mi: "Woah, what car is that?"  
Kaj: "Considering your previous car was destroyed by Shikinami fighting that clockwork Angel."  
Mi: " _My_  car? It's definitely a looker. What model is that?"  
A: "Looks vintage."  
Kaj: "...Mazda Cosmo? It's definitely a vintage model Cosmo though."  
Mi: "It's probably retrofitted with batteries and motors, like my Alpine. I can definitely see myself driving it if my Alpine was wrecked."  
Ma: "...and it seems Shikinami is  _also_  warming up to Shinji."  
Asuka chuckled. "Nothing gets to the heart of someone like good food. Even though I'm not that great at it."  
S: "It's the effort that counts. I'm not  _that_  great, but as long as you cook from a place of love,  _anything_  you make will be good." He smiled.  
Mi: "And it seems Rei's trying to improve Shinji and Gendo's relationship.  
He snorted. "Good luck with that. Though I suppose he hasn't done anything  _too_  terrible yet."  
A: "Other than abandoning you at the train station, like he did in our world and the Laserdiscs."  
S: "Okay,  _other_  than that. But I did think our relationship was improving at this stage in  _our_  world as well. At least until he threw us in the brig and fired us."  
Kaw: "And that's where it came tumbling down."  
S: "Where it  _started_ , at least."  
Ma: "Who knows though. Maybe things will end up better."  
Ri: "I doubt it, but I'm as cynical as they come."  
~

  
  
_Nevada_  
A: "...what the fuck is going on there?"  
Mi: "...oh shit, that's  _Nevada_!"  
Ri: "That's  _still_  the same? Who the hell was the pilot then, Makinami's in Japan in this continuity."  
Kaw: "It still involved Unit-04. But the full extent of the damage seemed much more vast than our own world."  
Ma: "89km in diameter, was the amount destroyed by the Dirac Sea."  
Ri: "That was  _not_  89km in diameter. It didn't even look like a Dirac Sea. It looks like a damn  _mini-Impact_ , like what their  _Antarctica_ looks like."  
Re: "Would it still involve the use of the S2 organ?"  
Kaw: "I don't think the existence of the S2 organ has even been confirmed in this continuity."  
Ri: "It wouldn't have to be explicitly stated to imply its existence. The Angels can still operate indefinitely. And it's definitely possible Nevada knew more about the S2 engine than we did, especially considering we weren't able to analyse Shamshel."  
S: "That still means Unit-03 will be sent to Tokyo-3 though, right?"  
A: "...well that's gonna be a shitshow."  
Mi: "Especially when we consider  _their_  Vatican only allows  _three_  Evangelion per country. And Unit-03 got  _possessed_  in all these worlds, and  _destroyed_  in the Laserdiscs."  
Re: "I would expect  _my_  Unit to be the one put in suspension."  
Ri: "Unfortunate, but Unit-00  _was_  the prototype Unit. It wasn't designed for battle, so we would prefer the other Units over that."  
Re: "I understand that. I don't think I would've minded too much."  
A: "Who would be the pilot of Unit-03 then? Would it be one of the stooges again?"  
S: "Well, Hikari's Unit-03's pilot in this world. Toji was in the Laserdiscs. Maybe Kensuke's a pilot."  
Asuka snorted. "I doubt it. Also yet more egregious references to Christianity, what's wrong with the standard Eva carrier?"  
~

  
  
_Monolith_  
A: "And he  _still_  finds out about Unit-03 and Nevada through Kensuke."  
S: "Not Nevada this time. Still don't know about the pilot."  
Kaw: "They still seem to be implying Toji though."  
Re: "But then there's Makinami. Considering she's an  _established_  pilot too."  
Kaj: "But that NERV doesn't yet know of her existence, as far as I know."  
Mi: "Great,  _more_  SEELE."  
Ri: "I think your assumption will be correct, Rei."  
Re: "Especially considering they haven't given the commander a budget to fix Unit-00."  
Ma: "Of course, this is all still to get to their goal of Instrumentality, is it?"  
Kaw: "Of course it is. That is the purpose of SEELE after all. And it appears the commander will still attempt to awaken Unit-01."  
A: "...so  _thats_  what that room looks like when it's not in use."

  
  
_Suspension_  
A: "WAIT WHAT? WHY ARE THEY PUTTING  _MY_  UNIT IN STORAGE?"  
Mi: "...Europe doesn't control Unit-02, they signed it over to  _us_  when they transferred it."  
Kaj: "The law of that world would be different. Considering it wasn't  _Europe_ in our world anyway, it was specifically  _Germany_."  
A: "Still,  _why_  would the put a  _working production model_  into storage over a  _damaged prototype?_  No offence intended or anything Rei, but Unit-00 was pretty terrible."  
Ri: "Knowing Gendo, he probably pulled some strings to keep it like that."  
A: "...son of a fuck. Shikinami and I might as well be different people at this point, but considering how  _I_ was like when I was  _fired_ , she's gonna be devastated too."  
S: "At the very least, they removed the core from Unit-02. Could mean you get another Unit."  
A: "Considering the only other Unit is... Unit... 03."  
A seed of fear was planted firmly in Shinji's mind.

  
  
_Elevator_  
Ma: "And now we get to wait a minute in this elevator again."  
They waited.  
Kaj: "It was only 10 seconds this time. Doesn't make for good cinema."  
A: "And I was completely right. She's reacting in the same way."  
Kaw: "This scene is similar to the Laserdiscs. Though that was right before Arael."  
Rei caught her slap.  
A: "...damn, nice intercept Rei."  
Re: "...in...  _love_  with Shinji?"  
Kaw: "An odd thing to witness, isn't it? The interactions between people in that world would be radically different to our own. There would be several worlds where Shinji and Asuka got together. Same with you and Shinji. Or Shinji and me. Or me and you. Or any other combination you could think of. Or no pairing at all. It's all dependent on how the people of that universe interact with one another."  
Re: "It's... odd."  
Kaw: "As it would be. Seeing yourself with other people. But it's what should be expected with these materials."  
A: "...Kaworu? What's the weirdest pairing you could think of?"  
Kaworu gave a thought. "An interesting question. And also an uncomfortable one. Doctor, give me a random shape."  
Ri: "Uhh, pentagon?"  
Kaw: "Asuka, pick any five people here."  
She didn't, but the message was clear. "...yeah, that  _is_  pretty weird."  
Kaworu tilted his head at her. "You did  _ask_ me, Asuka."  
~

  
  
_Dummy System_  
S: "Great, they even have the dummy plug."  
Kaj: "I'm guessing you aren't looking forward to this."  
A: " _I'm_  not looking forward to this as well. I think they're gonna get  _me_  to pilot Unit-03."  
That seed was quickly sprouting into the tree of woe. "...not  _you_ , Asuka."  
A: "It's not you, and it's not me. Remember that and steel yourself, Shinji."  
Re: "You two are already assuming the worst?"  
A: "You kinda  _have_  to with this shit. All my optimism about other worldly media involving us left after the Laserdiscs. I automatically assume the worst now."  
Mi: "It  _would_  help you deal with whatever happens, I suppose." She facepalmed. "I'm getting too drunk again..."  
Ri: "And talking about NERV business out in public. Tsk tsk."  
Mi: "Maybe I shouldn't be drinking then..."  
Ma: "...Golgotha?"  
Ri: "Non-existent. We developed the dummy plug system in house, not imported from elsewhere."  
Kaw: "There is also no SEELE installation of that name, as far as I know. Golgotha was supposedly the place where Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, however."  
A: "More symbolism. This continuity has even  _more_  of that than the Laserdiscs."  
Kaj: "And talking about  _that_  out in public as well."  
Ma: "...maybe you  _are_  correct, Asuka. Wait a minute, if the dummy plug system was developed at  _another_  NERV installation, then why was Rei in the tube?"  
Re: "It's possible the mechanics of a Nephilim body work differently in that world. I could require consistent 'refreshing', so to speak."  
~

  
  
_Delivery_  
Ri: "...I don't use a GUI."  
A: "It  _will_  be me. God damn it, I'm gonna get completely destroyed."  
Shinji was now in the bargaining stage. "Maybe it'll be like  _our_  world."  
Kaw: "Maybe if you knew Asuka was piloting, you would try getting her out."  
S: "Or, he would lock up and my  _father_  would activate the dummy system. And we all know how  _that_  went down."  
Silence. Shinji got himself up, and positioned himself closer to Asuka. He looked into her eyes.  
She wrapped an arm around him. "Steel yourself, love."  
S: "...I'm trying."  
Maya squeed. "Suzuhara's sister is adorable!"  
Kaw: "I don't think we ever saw her in the Laserdiscs."  
S: "I've seen her a few times around Toji. She's sweet."  
A: "Keeps Toji in check too."  
Rei giggled. "I find it funny Kensuke was still interested in me in this continuity as well."  
A: "Even though your relationship with him amounted to 'experiment in ways to make him unconscious'."  
Re: "Still a relationship."  
~

  
  
_Unit-03_  
Kaw: "Events seem alright so far."  
Mi: "They  _seemed_  alright, right up to the explosion." She deadpanned.  
A: "...I wonder why she would call you?"  
Mi: "Well, we should listen on so we can find out."  
A: "...y'know? It  _does_  seem like she's getting somewhere. She's starting to appreciate how nice it is talking to others."  
S: "Though she did say she was alright being alone."  
A: "Being alone, and not having anyone to talk to are different though. As long as you get that interaction."  
Kaj: "Interaction between each other was how humans were able to become how they are today."  
A: "Though me  _now_  wouldn't want to be alone, considering I've had a good while to get used to the company of Shinji and others. But, y'know, baby steps. Shikinami's definitely grown."  
S: "You don't look that bad in the test suit as well."  
She poked her tongue. "It's even more skimpy than the regular plugsuit, and that's  _already_  a single step above nudity. And  _she_ knows it too."

  
  
_Farewell for today_  
Asuka entered the plug.

She was soon taken into the Eva as Bardiel took over.  
Shinji sighed. "Tumbling down, tumbling down, tumbling _dowwwwn_." He resigned, mockingly singing the refrain from Instrumentality, trying to hide his apprehension.  
Mi: "Jesus Christ it's  _already_  worse than reality."  
A: "Great. So I got absorbed into the Eva like Hikari did?"  
Kaw: "That's even  _more_  rude of Bardiel, disrupting their dinner like that."  
Ri: "Angels can be quite inconsiderate like that. I think you're the most considerate, gentlemen of an Angel we've had the pleasure of knowing, Kaworu."  
Kaw: "Considering I didn't try to  _end the world_ , I might as well have won by default."  
~

  
  
_Bardiel_  
Shinji's apprehension was now visible. "...it  _is_  gonna be the same. Isn't it?"  
A: "...unless you attack it. Like you did in our world."  
Ri: "Indeed. If you freeze up like you did in the Laserdiscs, he would have no choice but to activate the dummy plug system, you realise."  
S: "...i do realise that. then that's all I can hope for now, that I don't freeze up."  
Shinji.exe has stopped working.  
A: "...you're not attacking it."  
Shinji was increasingly despairing. "...damn it."  
Mi: "You're putting up more of a fight at least."  
A: "Oh come on, growing more limbs is  _cheating_!"  
Ri: "Corrupting Unit-01 as well, Bardiel couldn't do that."  
S: "...damn it. fucking... damn it."

  
  
_Mata au hi made_  
Ri: "...that was not a part of the dummy plug system."  
Shinji's breathing quickened.  
Asuka grabbed onto his jaw and craned his head towards her. "Shinji. Look at me."  
He did.  
"It's not you. That's not me."  
S: "...i don't want to watch... but i should. even if it'll cause me pain."  
A: "Do you want me to hold you?"  
S: "...ye-"  
She did just that, as music started playing.  
Kaj: "Again with the inappropriate music."  
Mi: "...this is what they use at fucking  _school graduations_. Who the hell thought that was appropriate?"  
Maya averted her eyes at the carnage.  
A: "...jesus christ." She muttered, holding Shinji closer.  
He simply stared with vacant eyes at the screen as the scene played, the juxtaposition between such an innocent song and such violence aimed at his lover only emphasising his already cyclonic emotions.  
Rei looked on at the screen, contempt aimed at the commander.  
Screams echoed through the room. Decisively  _female_  sounding screams _._  
A: "...Shinji?"  
He continued to be quiet. "...no."  
Ritsuko paused the film, obviously anticipating an impromptu break.  
A: "...Shinji..."  
  
"...i'm sorry..." He whispered. "i'm- i-"  
  
He broke.  
  
"shh... It's ok Shinji..."  
  
The only sound in the room for a short while was his sobbing. But eventually, the rains dried up. He just stayed there, silent. In her arms.  
  
"...it's not your fault, Shinji."  
  
"...i know."  
  
"...you don't like seeing me hurt."  
  
"...yeah. especially if it's  _me_  doing it."  
  
"...heh. idiot. you know getting hurt's a part of life, and that's not  _our_  life."  
  
"...now i do. i didn't when i first came here, but now i can appreciate it. i'd rather it be myself hurt than you though."  
  
"because you love me."  
  
"yeah. because i love you, Asuka."  
  
"...i know  _you_  would do whatever it took, Shinji. That's what makes you different than all the other Shinji's we've seen. You're strong."  
  
"...all my strength comes from you, Asuka."  
  
"Even so, you're stronger than those other Shinji's. And I will be here to convince you of that whenever shit like that happens, okay Shin?"  
  
"...Okay." He looked to her, a soft smile.  
  
She gave him a kiss. "Now, do you want to continue watching this garbage fire of a universe?"  
  
"...Don't see why not."  
  
"That's the spirit." She turned to the others. "He's fine guys."  
  
"That's good to hear, Shinji." Misato smiled.  
  
"That gives us  _two_  traumatic events resulting in pauses." Rei quipped.  
  
"Those aren't _bad_ stats, considering how the Laserdiscs were like." Asuka said. "Lets continue."  
~

  
  
_Pyramid_  
Mi: "Man, you're wreaking even more havoc than in the Laserdiscs, Shinji."  
S: "...knowing myself, I would've been  _angry_. At Gendo. At NERV."  
A: "Completely justified as well."  
Ri: "It's rather tantrum in tone, but I can understand it as well."  
Unit-01 collapsed.  
Re: "...he still handled it the same way."  
S: "...didn't even listen to me."  
Kaj: "And that marks the first train in this movie."  
S: "...that's true, what I said. The SDAT player. Shut myself off from the world, then I wouldn't have to deal with it."  
A: "Even though it's essentially running away from your issues."  
S: "...Yeah. I don't use it anymore, at least. Don't even know where I put the damn thing anymore."  
Mi: "And it's not like you hate the world."  
S: "Gods no, I  _love_  this world now. I have people that make life worth living." He glanced to the screen. "Though I don't like  _that_ world. Just like the Laserdisc world."  
Kaw: "You probably want it to burn, don't you?"  
S: "Knowing what goes on in the Laserdiscs, that will most likely happen."  
Ma: "...the Angel after Bardiel was Zeruel. And with how the Angels had been more powerful in this continuity."  
S: "...I might just get my wish then."  
~

  
  
_Sealing_  
A: "...jeez. i wonder how bad i was."  
Ri: "...you would've been contaminated by the Angel, first of all. Who knows what'll happen with that."  
S: "...Toji lost a leg. Maybe an arm as well. You'll probably be missing a limb or two..."  
Ma: "Not to mention the psychological consequences."  
A: "Man, I got pretty shafted in this continuity then. And just as she was starting develop." She comforted Shinji with a hand hold. "Though losing a limb or two isn't  _so_  bad, relatively speaking."  
Ri: "Honestly, we could probably  _grow_  you a limb, based on the Evangelion design."  
Ma: "Or develop a robotic one."  
A: "That would be pretty cool, I suppose. Though I'm not gonna cut off my arm, if I can help it. I  _like_  being able to feel things."  
Ri: "A grown limb would fix that, I would think." She thought out loud. "Just need a bit of your DNA and a bit of Lilith. Grow an arm, leg, hell we could probably grow some organs for you if you required them."  
Re: "I recall you had to utilise that a few times with myself, especially after the first berserk of Unit-00."  
Ri: "That and LCL aided healing."  
A: "Man, NERV is pretty neat."  
Kaw: "...those pillars. I find them... odd."  
~

  
  
_Brig_  
S: "Good to see  _father_  still treated me like some prisoner." He spat at the screen. "I'm gonna quit again, I imagine."  
A: "It’s what happened in the Laserdiscs."  
Kaj: "That or you get fired."  
Re: "Still leaving NERV though. Either way would be preferable to him at this point."  
A: "...then he mocks you."  
S: "It wouldn't matter to him. He made his decision."  
Mi: "...he even threw away that tape player of yours."  
S: "It would've reminded him of father."  
A: "Rei obviously cares for you a lot in this continuity."  
Re: "You said it yourself, Asuka. I love him, in that world. I wouldn't  _know_  what those feelings were though."  
Kaw: "Though we could already see they had begun to shape you."  
~

  
  
_Threshold_  
Mi: "...man, that was  _not_  a good farewell."  
S: "...you can say that again. He would still be angry with father  _and_  NERV for forcing him to do that. And  _you're_  NERV, Misato."  
An alarm sounded on the train.  
Shinji sighed. "Of course."  
A: "This would be Zeruel, right?"  
Kaw: "I imagine it would be. He was right after Bardiel, and he was quite a significant Angel."  
Ri: "...Hang on, Unit-02's in suspension, Shikinami's gravely injured, and Unit-01 might be unusable if Yui decides to reject the dummy plug and Rei like she did in the Laserdiscs."  
Mi: "...oh Christ, that leaves Unit- _00 alone_  to go up against  _Zeruel_."  
Re: "I was able to hold my own against Zeruel in Unit-01 for a bit. I might be able to handle it in Unit-00."  
A: "Even though Unit-00 wasn't designed for combat."  
Re: "Indeed. Hopefully Shinji will be able to get back to Unit-01 before I die then."  
S: "If this follows the Laserdiscs, then I'm sure I will."  
~

  
  
_Unfreeze_  
A: Hang on, why are they unfreezing Unit-02  _now_?"  
Ri: "With Unit-03 gone, Unit-02 can now be unfrozen, according to their Vatican Treaty. I suspect Gendo may attempt to use a dummy plug with it."  
A: "They'd have to put the core back in it though, and it would've been in Unit- oh  _fuck_. I hope Mama was alright..."  
Kaw: "Well, if they could use Unit-02, that would suggest the core was alright."  
A: "Wait a minute, is that  _bitch_  gonna use  _my_  Evangelion?"  
Kaj: "Not like there's another pilot."  
Asuka grumbled. "If she wrecks it, I'm gonna travel to that universe and put her head on a pike."  
S: "Considering the Angel they're about to face."  
Mi: "That NERV  _still_  doesn't know about Makinami though, do they?"  
A: "Oh great. My Eva is in the possession of a  _rogue agent_." She deadpanned.  
Ma: "Surely she would still be gunning for the Angel though."  
Kaw: "... _I'm_  sortieing too? How the hell would I even get down there?"  
A: "Knowing you, Kaworu, you probably know things are gonna go to hell in a handbasket."  
Kaworu shrugged. "Probably. Yeah I can see why I'd be getting ready."

  
  
_Battlestations_  
S: "Is it just me, or is Zeruel much larger than he was."  
Kaw: "You're correct in your observation, Shinji. He was big, but not to  _that_  extent."  
A: "As if they needed any more problems."  
Kaj: "So, Asuka. What you said about Third Impact happening early."  
A: "Surely Zeruel won't initiate it. There were still more events to happen before Third Impact and Instrumentality."  
**ZAP**  
Mi: "Holy shit, he cut through the Geofront like  _butter_."  
A: "...me and my big mouth."  
Re: "We're screwed."  
~

  
  
_Unit-02_  
A: "Alright, Mari Makinami. Let’s see how you do in my Evangelion." She had a hint of jealousy in her critiquing intonation.  
Kaw: "It's odd how she was able to sync so readily with your Evangelion. One would think she would need a link to your mother."  
A: "One  _would_. Maybe she can do what  _you_  can do with an Evangelion."  
Re: "I doubt she's Nephilim. For one, her skin and hair are untouched by a progenitor."  
Ri: "That still leaves that question up for speculation though."  
S: "There's always the chance the mechanisms behind synchronising are different in that world. So much so that any pilot of a high enough skill could sync with any Unit."  
Ri: "Possible. But that's not how  _our_  world works."  
Ma: "It's rather a moot question to ask then, isn't it?"  
Mi: "It's still interesting to speculate about."

  
  
_AT_  
Kaw: "...multi layered AT-Field. That shouldn't be possible normally."  
Re: "Maybe Zeruel's soul is just  _that_  powerful in that world."  
Kaw: "Possibly. But that would put him on a power level equal or  _over_  that of my  _father_."  
A: "So we're practically facing Adam."  
Kaw: "I'd liken this Zeruel to him. Based on what he could do."  
A: "We're  _fucked_."  
Kaj: "Makinami's actually putting up a decent fight, considering."  
Kaw: "I'm actually surprised she's doing this well against him."  
Makinami got flung against a wall.  
Re: "You may have spoken too soon."  
A: "If she's just gonna get my Eva destroyed, then she may as well not do anything."  
Kaw: "He continues to use the AT-Field in interesting ways."  
Ri: "It looks  _weaponised_. That would be pretty great to have, would save us having to build melee weapons."  
Mi: "Probably at the cost of pilot sanity." She snarked.  
~

  
  
_Refusal_  
A: "Yep. Still the same."  
Ri: "Son of a bitch deserves it."  
Ma: "Even though it puts us in a precarious position."  
Ri: "If it was  _our_  world, I'd probably be thinking differently."  
Re: "...the plugs aren't that roomy. We can't stand upright in them."  
Mi: "Or she's just short."  
A: " _Everyone_  in Japan is short, Misato."  
Kaj: "She's part Briton though."  
A: "She'd still have that Japanese ancestry thou- wait,  _British_?"

  
  
_The Beast_  
A: "Wait a minute, what is she doing?"  
Ri: "...beast mode..? Is she attempting to go berserk?"  
They witnessed the transformation.  
A: "WHAT THE  _FUCK_  IS SHE DOING TO UNIT-02?!"  
Ri: "...those are the restraints. That idiot is releasing _all the_   _limiters_! This is more than a berserk. She's releasing the full potential of Unit-02, and allowing herself to become contaminated in the process, all just to push the limit."  
A: "YOU CAN DO THAT?"  
Ri: " _Gods no_ , those restraints are  _hard locked_. There's no software method of undoing them, not by us and definitely not by a pilot through some secret code. There's not even an easy  _hard_  method to unlock them. Cause then you get things like how Unit-01 handled Zeruel in the  _Laserdiscs_ , which was practically ascension to  _Godhood_."  
The beast went to town on Zeruel.  
Mi: "I gotta say though, she's definitely making more headway on Zeruel than she was before."  
A: "But she had to completely  _ruin_  my Evangelion to do so! Why the fuck would she do that?  _How_  the fuck could she do that?"  
Zeruel fought her off.  
A: "And she  _still_ fucking lost?! Fucking goddamn it, you bitch Makinami, I'm gonna shit down your throat for what you did to mama!"  
Kaj: "Can I join in in saying we're screwed?"

  
  
_Unit-00_  
Re: "Not if I have anything to say about it."  
Kaw: "...you'll attempt to bomb Zeruel again."  
Re: "It makes sense, as it did in the Laserdiscs. I assume I can always be reborn in  _this_  rendition as well."  
They watched on.  
Ma: "Not even an AT-Field can break that AT-Field? How is that possible?"  
Kaw: "Immense power can overcome immense power. I can see why I was sortied, things are clearly going south quite hard."  
A: "She's  _still_  going? YOU BETTER NOT DESTROY HER!"  
The bomb went off.  
A: "...was that a damn  _nuke_?"  
Ri: "Of course Zeruel would have core protection. This would've done nothing."  
S: "Great. So now we've nuked ourselves." He deadpanned. "I thought the  _Laserdiscs_ rendition of the fight against Zeruel was bad enough. This is _worse_."  
~

  
  
_Shelter_  
A: "Great, so it's up to the crazy chick to give you a pep talk."  
Mi: "...holy shit, the Geofront is completely  _fucked_."  
Re: "And it was in vain as well."  
S: "Hopefully it would incentivise me to actually get in the Eva though."  
They looked on as Zeruel ate Unit-00.  
Kaw: "WHAT? ZERUEL YOU DOG!"  
Zeruel transformed.  
Ri: "...oh shit. Oh fuck. We are completely screwed now."  
Ma: "Why Ritsuko?"  
Ri: "Zeruel  _assimilated_  Unit-00. The sensors would see it as Unit-00. Therefore, Zeruel now has a  _free ride to Terminal Dogma_."  
Silence as her theory was proven true.  
A: "...Jesus Christ, we  _are_  completely  _fucked_."  
Kaj: "Unless Shinji can pull some miracle out of thin air."  
S: "I'd have to be a  _God_  to pull a miracle like that."  
A: "I mean, you have a decent incentive. Rescue Rei. That would be all he needs."  
~

  
  
_Encounter_  
A: "Fuck yes Shinji, destroy that son of a bitch! No offence Kaworu!"  
Kaw: "None taken."  
Mi: "Go Shinji!"  
S: "I'm even more determined than I was in the  _Laserdiscs_. Holy."  
He ran out of power.  
S: "Oh  _fuck off_."  
A: "That was still the same."  
Kaw: "But he continued afterwards. Whether it was him or his mother controlling Unit-01 in the Laserdiscs though."  
Re: "So he should continue, soon."  
Kaj: "One would hope."  
~

  
  
_Determination_  
A: "...holy shit, Shinji. That's  _all you_."  
Kaj: "You practically got an unpowered Eva moving through sheer  _willpower._ "  
Mi: "Oh this is gonna be good."  
Ri: "...you're releasing the limiters as well, Shinji."  
S: "Good. I better get Rei back after all this shit."  
A: "You  _deserve_  Rei if you can get her back after all this shit."  
Kaworu observed. "Shinji, you will ascend to Godhood if you continue."  
S: "I would do just that, if it meant I could get Rei back. I'd do the same in this world too, if I could. To rescue Asuka, Rei, Misato, or you Kaworu. Though at least in  _this_  world, I'll try harder to not end it outright."  
A halo grew above Unit-01.  
Kaw: "...so be it then. Unit-01 is ascending as we speak."  
Kaj: "...so this is Godhood."  
Kaw: "To an even greater extent than the Laserdisc Zeruel. I don't think I've ever seen someone use an  _AT-Field_  to _replace_ a  _lost limb_. Even in the _Laserdiscs_ , Unit-01 had to assimilate a part of Zeruel to replace it."  
A: "...and it would involve Shinji descending further and further into his Eva."  
S: "...thing is, I can see myself doing this."  
Mi: "And I would support you. As I'm doing now."  
Ri: "Even though the consequences would be severe?"  
Mi: " _Our_  Shinji is careful enough to not end the world when shit like this happens."  
Kaworu chuckled. He may as well join in with cheering on the end of the world. "...go get her back, Shinji."  
~

  
  
_Tsubasa wo Kudasai_  
S: "...holy shit, I really  _am_  starting an Impact."  
Kaw: "...indeed you are, if this world's mechanics are anything to go by."  
Rei heard herself sing, increasingly getting flustered. "...Is an Impact worth it to rescue someone you love?"  
S: "Yes. Especially in a world like _that_. If I could save  _someone_ , someone I  _love_. Then it would be worth it."  
A: "That's definitely you, Shinji. I say go for it! Purge that world and save the girl!"  
Ri: "...you're diving into Zeruel's core to save her."  
Kaw: "Forcefully, might I add. Doing this would require such immense power, power that could only be matched by a  _progenitor_."  
Mi: "And all this to save Rei."  
S: "She's worth it, Misato. I would do the same for you."  
Rei simply watched as Shinji crossed the threshold...

  
He called out to her.

  
And saved her.  
Asuka jumped out of her seat. "YES! FUCK  _YES_ , SHINJI!"  
Kaj: "I find it a bit odd you're alright with him going for Rei."  
A: "It's not  _our_  world, Kaji. Plus, with all he went through, he  _deserves it_."  
Kaw: "This music is oddly fitting for such an apocalypse."  
Re: "...you would do all that to... save me, Shinji?"  
S: "Yes. Kaworu would do the same too, won't you?"  
Kaw: "Yes. We would do anything to get you back, Rei."  
A: "Count me in with that as well. Rei, you're one of my closest friends. We would do anything to get you back if you became lost to us."  
She looked around at all of them.  
  
And she began to tear up. Something about that, she found strangely beautiful. It pierced through her barriers. "...you- you-"  
  
Kaworu held her. "You two, too."  
  
They didn't need to be told twice, they all wrapped Rei up.  
  
Rei felt the warmth and lights of all three of them, especially Kaworu. His soul flared.  
  
"...i- i love you all." She cried, the pilots continuing to hold her.  
  
"We love you too, Rei." Asuka cooed. "So much."  
  
"We all care for you, Rei." Shinji spoke in kind. "And we will make sure we remind you of this."  
  
"...and we would do anything for you, Rei." Kaworu pressed his head into her. "And I will always be there by your side."  
  
"...t-thank you." She revelled in their collective emotion, as they continued holding her.  
  
Everyone else looked on as the credits started rolling.  
  
"...You  _did_ jinx it Asuka!" Misato exclaimed, jokingly, deflating the pilot's impromptu feelings seminar. "I don't know  _how_  you could get a world much worse than the  _Laserdiscs_ , but ending the world  _before Arael_  would definitely do something like that!"  
  
"At least  _this time_ ," Asuka went to defend Shinji's actions, even though he just  _ended the world_. "He ended the world due to him wanting to save someone who he loved, instead of suicidal tendencies! Sure the world's still _ended_ , but considering  _that_  world was somehow  _more_  fucked than the Laserdiscs, it's no big loss."  
  
"Even though it's still the  _end of the world_." Ritsuko deadpanned. "Though love makes you do weird things. I know that from experience."  
  
"We  _all_  do." Kaji spoke up. "Hell,  _Gendo's_  entire gambit was created in an attempt to recover the  _one_  person he truly loved."  
  
"Not counting Shinji or Rei?" Asuka deadpanned. "Though you can't really call what  _he_  did love."  
  
Kaworu thought. "They said in the first movie there was 14 Angels. If we assume my father, or whoever was responsible for Second Impact, was the first, that would make Zeruel the 10th in this continuity."  
  
"...where would that put  _you_ , Kaworu?"  
  
"...Lilim are the true final Angel, having descended from Lilith. If I remain the final messenger, as I was meant to be in our world, and  _was_  in the Laserdiscs, that would put me... 13th."  
  
"But considering the  _world has ended_ , would it really matter?"  
  
"...I suppose it wouldn't." He conceded. "Guess that means my sortieing was pointless. Unless it was for another purpose."  
  
He recalled the Lance. " _Oh_. I think I realised what I would try doing."  
  
"And what would that be, Kaworu?" Misato queried.  
  
"I have an advanced Unit. I have a Lance. I, or SEELE, obviously knew what was to happen."  
  
"You're gonna try stopping him?"  
  
"I suspect so. A Lance can be used to stop events like that, that was indeed how Second Impact was halted. And began." He sighed. "Though I guess we won't know until the next movie. When do you think we should watch it?"  
  
"Well, it's getting on a bit." Ritsuko checked her terminal, 1930. It wasn't  _as_  late as it could be, but she was sure there were other things they wanted to do. "And I'm pretty sure most of us have some business going on. Tell you what, we'll move forward the sync test to Wednesday noon. Hopefully that will give us the next movie to watch afterwards."  
  
Maya added on, "Plus, I'm sure Rei would like some company."  
  
Asuka smirked. "Wanna go out for a night on the town, Rei?"  
  
"...we'd have to get changed into something suitable, but I wouldn't mind that." She smiled. "That goes for Kaworu and Shinji too, I assume."  
  
"Of course, Rei." She looked to Misato. "You fine with that?"  
  
She nodded, smiling. "Yeah, be home before midnight though."  
  
Asuka was already herding the pilots out. "Yeah yeah, don't worry about us Misato!"  
  
"And Rei, don't go popping people!"  
  
"...Wait, you  _told_  her abo-" The door shut with a hiss as Rei was about to rebuke Asuka, to the laughter of the others.  
  
"What about you two?" Rits asked the other couple.  
  
"Well, it's still a bit early. I was thinking of going to the office, seeing if there's any  _paperwork_ ,"  
  
The innuendo wasn't lost on Ritsuko  _or_  Maya, especially as Misato  _gazed_  at Kaji.  
  
"-and then maybe call it an early night. Maybe get some ramen on the way home with Kaji, I don't know. What I  _do_  know is Pen-Pen might want to be fed something  _other_  than alcohol, and I want to be fed something that  _is_  alcohol."  
  
"I don't know  _how_  that penguin is still fine living with you, Misato." The doctor panned.  
  
Misato shrugged. "He knows I'm busy and that I love him." They got up to make their leave. "I'll see you later, you two!"  
  
They left too, leaving Ritsuko, Maya, and the credits.  
  
"Well then, Maya. What do you want to do, now we're all alone in our lab~"  
  
Ritsuko drew ever closer to her. "Meep."  
  
She gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I for one am feeling a bit hungry. What say you I go get something from the cafeteria?"  
  
She was still blushing, and could only nod.  
  
"You're adorable, y'know." She went for the door. "I'll be back soon, my Kohai!"

  
  
Maya was left alone, with the rolling credits. The music was actually quite nice. And kind of sad too. Something about longing to be with someone. She could see Shikinami sing it, actually.  
  
"...so it  _is_  Hideki Anno." Maya said to herself. She thought it interesting that the same person over different universes could have the same idea.  _'Maybe if he existed in this world, he would've been clairvoyant.'_  She thought, to her own humour. But that got her curiosity peaked, so she went for her terminal and did a lookup on this Hideki Anno.  
  
' _Huh. Apartment fire. That's a bit of a crappy end.'_  She thought about other aspects of these renditions. She continued looking up.  
  
_'...nothing for Gainax. Or Khara. Should've expected that, honestly.'_ She chuckled to herself.  _'Maybe we should establish them as shell companies for the Marduk Institute.' Oooh, maybe_ we _could start a production company and_ publish _this stuff. Of course, they would have to be heavily censored, due to the whole top secret infor-'_  
  
She was bought out of her internal musings by sounds  _other_  than music coming from the screen. To her surprise, she saw the scene of Third Impact.  
  
And Unit-01 being impaled by a Lance, stopping the apocalypse in its tracks.  
  
Kaworu made his presence known, wearing the halo Unit-01 once wore.  
  
He remarked about the promised time, and how he would make him happy.  
  
"...oh shit."  
  
The video continued. A preview for the next one. She watched and listened on.  
  
"...there's  _previews_?"  
  
She quickly turned off the screen just in case it blew up again, and went running out the door. "Ritsuko~oo! Sempai~ii!"  
  
Her voice trailed off.  
~~~

 

The night was still young, so there were a plethora of choices for the discerning young individual of Tokyo-3 to visit.  
  
Unfortunately, the pilots were  _still_  too young to visit many of these places (and showing them their NERV clearances only hardened their opinions on the matter). So, they ended up at the same place they  _usually_  end up on nights like these: a ramen stand.  
  
"I feel like I should be concerned about my tendency to  _end worlds_."  
  
Asuka snorted at the absurdity of that phrase, speaking through the noodles. "Considering how complete  _crap_  those worlds are. As long as you don't plan on ending  _our_  world."  
  
"Even if I had a damn good reason?"  
  
"I would imagine you would have to run a serious cost/benefit analysis on such a thing." Rei remarked. "Let’s say the scenario from the end of  _Ha_. Is saving someone you love worth ending the world?"  
  
"My father obviously thought that." Shinji thought, eating the food. "And it sounds like  _I'm_  the same."  
  
"It all depends on how you word your quote unquote wish." Kaworu especially enjoyed the varied street food the Lilim could cook up. "For example, the you in the Laserdiscs was so suicidally nihilistic, he  _practically_  asked to kill everyone. The you in the theatrical continuity asked to rescue Rei, 'Forget everything else and rescue Rei.', I recall you saying. It's definitely possible Unit-01 interpreted this as ' _sacrifice_  everyone else  _for_  Rei'."  
  
Rei thought. "How could Third Impact even begin in that situation anyway? I am a Lilim. Unit-01 was Lilim based."  
  
"Actually, that wasn't clarified." Kaworu continued. "For all we know, Unit-01 could be based on  _my_  cells. That would make Third Impact viable, the forbidden union of an Adam and a Lilith. And we must also consider that the you Unit-01 recovered would've been touched by Zeruel, which would  _also_  fit the forbidden union."  
  
"In that case, you pretty much need to be a  _lawyer_  and hand over a sixteen  _thousand_  page 'wish' to your Evangelion, if you want to get out of ending the world." Asuka snarked. "Whenever some greater power like that gives you a wish, and you could wish for any damn thing you want, there's  _always_  an unintended consequence."  
  
"Cosmic irony?" Muffled Shinji, through food. "I obviously didn't  _intentionally_  mean to end the world, at least in the new continuity. The  _Laserdiscs_  are a different story altogether."  
  
"The  _Laserdiscs_  are borderline  _tamer_  than that other universe, and that  _still_  ended with the world. I'm really starting to believe  _our_ universe is the  _exception_ , rather than the  _rule_."  
  
"While we do have three examples of other universes; ours, the Laserdiscs, and the theatrical continuity, we could still use  _more_ material involving us to know for sure." Kaworu speculated. "Hideki Anno would not be the only person to have the idea of Evangelion as a story."  
  
"And if we consider the fact  _others_  might write stories  _based_  on that initial story. The possibilities are quite endless, in that regard." Rei theorised, continuing to daintily nibble on her meal. "We could be placed into an insurmountable amount of situations." A small chuckle. "I actually find it a bit fun, oddly enough. Seeing how we  _could_  react to certain situations that  _we_ never  _had_  to experience, or  _will_  never experience."  
  
"You call that trauma  _fun_?" Incredulously, Asuka queried. "I mean, it  _is_  interesting to see us in  _most_  of those situations. I probably wouldn't call it  _fun_  though. Unless you're like Makinami."  
  
"...I just thought. If the people who view that fiction make fiction of  _us_." Rei's face twisted to one of disgust.  
  
"What do you me-"  
  
A train, full of chemicals, fire and chemical fires, derailed in her mind, as Asuka sprayed a drink over a wall. "GOD DAMN IT I didn't want to be reminded of that again."  
  
That got the others laughing.  
~~~

  
  
It was now 23:00, and the pilots were walking back to their apartment block to call it a night. Still talking among themselves, as they had been doing for quite some time now, mostly about the movie they saw that day.  
  
"Kaworu, have you decided on what that clockwork Angel should be named?"  
  
The fish shook his head. "I'm still thinking about the Seventh, but the new Third Angel that we saw Makinami fight? Azrael. Archangel of death in Islamic canon and Judaic Kabbalah, they sever the soul from the body at death."  
  
"Was that cause the Third was practically bone?" Asuka remarked.  
  
"Well, there weren't many aspects I could pick out and make a name from," He bashfully admitted. "but I felt Azrael fit both their theming  _and_  the general naming conventions many of my kin have. Iblis was also a possibility, as the Third was serpent like. But it was a bit on the nose for my tastes."  
  
The bluenette tilted her head. "Isn't Iblis just Islam's name for  _Satan_?"  
  
"How subtle." A flame deadpanned.  
  
"That is also a similar issue I am facing with the Seventh. We liken it to clockwork, but there isn't any Angel of time in the canon I've studied, that I would be able to name them afterwards."  
  
"Well, there's other aspects you could pick from." Rei continued. "Ice. Trickery." She paused, trying to think.  
  
"Exactly. We don't have enough information from this small window into this other universe. It's possible the Seventh and Third could do a lot more, but  _I_  never experienced them. And they are never mentioned by name in their universes as well, same as my other kin. To gaze into the other world to find out such information will simply exhaust me."  
  
"We could always  _make up_  a name." Shinji threw out. "Like Clockiel."  
  
Kaworu thought. And chuckled at Shinji's earnest attempt at naming the Angel. "We could." He found a stick, and some nearby sand.  
  
He wrote his Angel name in three different languages: Japanese Romaji, English and Arabic. "I'll give you a crash course in Abrahamic canon. My kin are named, appropriately or not, after the Angels of said canon. Our names are an example of a Theophoric name, bearing the name of God. -el, Elohim.  
  
Exceptions being Sandalphon and I.  _Sandalphon_  in the Judaic teachings is considered a counterpart to Metatron. Both Metatron and Sandalphon are said to have come from human origins, Metatron from the Prophet Enoch, and Sandalphon from Prophet Elijah." He looked at the trio.  
  
And tilted his head as they realised none of them really understood what he was babbling on about. "Put up a hand if you understand."  
  
One hand went up halfway. "I  _heard_  of Enoch." Asuka conceded.  
  
"To be fair, it's not like we even  _study_  that religion. Considering I didn't even know what  _Jericho_  was until Asuka so kindly pointed out to me."  
  
Kaworu chuckled. "Maybe I was a bit too verbose. Basically, all the Angel's names could be found in the various canons of the Abrahamic religions; Torah, Bible and Gospel, Quran, even the Golden Plates. Except mine."  
  
He pointed to the calligraphy. "The name can be written in Arabic, suggesting it would fit within Islamic canon, but I was not able to find reference to such a name, or a similar Angel of  _Free Will_  in the Islamic texts, or any other Abrahamic text. Of course, we can't discount the potential of  _lost_  documents to contain such names, such as the Q source, or the Scrolls of Abraham, or even additional Dead Sea Scrolls."  
  
Shinji thought. "...so you're suggesting your name was  _created_?"  
  
"A suspicion at least." The stick dropped, and they continued walking home. "As a Nephilim, I would've been engineered. Appending the name of God to a human work would be considered heresy to SEELE, I suspect."  
  
An eyebrow raised on Asuka's face. "Are they really _that_ puritanical when it comes to religion?"  
  
"Yes." He was flat as a pancake. "Specifically Abrahamic."  
  
"One would think  _that_  was why you were a bit weird at first Kaworu, no offence."  
  
He chuckled. "That's probably true, Asuka. Considering my purpose in their plan. But I  _am_  the Angel of Free Will after all. I have the free will to tell them to get stuffed."  
  
They laughed at the remark, as the continued walking to their apartments.  
  
Kaworu felt a twinge in his mind. He looked to Rei, whose head tilted at the voiceless question.  _'Kin?'_  It wasn't a word, but Kaworu could still understand.  
  
He concentrated, voicelessly voicing an affirm.  
  
"...uhh, Rei? What's going on?" Shinji innocently asked of her, noticing how both of them had gone deathly quiet.  
  
"...I think he might've found one of his own."  
  
Asuka knew quite well what that meant. "...this isn't gonna end well for you two, is it?"  
  
"...if it is one of my own, then it  _will_  be hard on me. But I can steel myself." He turned to face them. "You don't have to come with us."  
  
"If how last time was like, you two are gonna need some  _serious_  comfort once it's all done." She grasped onto Shinji's hand. "We will join you."  
~~~

  
  
The last scene replayed. Ritsuko paused it.  
  
"So Kaworu  _was_  right in his theory."  
  
"Amazing how often he gets it right."  
  
"He's practically clairvoyant anyway, Maya, even when he isn't trying." The boxes of ramen were being dug into, as they reinvestigated. "And then there's a preview?"  
  
Maya nodded. "Right after."  
  
It played. They took it in, rewinding on occasion to catch and write up some details. Eventually they started cross examining notes.  
  
"... _near_  Third Impact? There was nothing  _near_  about it!"  
  
"Well, obviously the personnel of NERV survived, to be arrested and questioned."  
  
"Makes sense, considering  _Third Impact_. Though it wasn't that bad if there still existed government entities to  _arrest_  us." She continued eating. "And Kaworu gathering all the pilots too? Is he like he was in our world, or is he closer aligned to SEELE this time?"  
  
Ritsuko shrugged. "Who knows. We would have to watch the next film to be sure." She also continued eating. "Though I'm somewhat intrigued by the presence of several Reis this time."  
  
"They said she was still stuck in Unit-01 along with Shinji though. They might be clones. Especially considering their differing eye colours."  
  
"How would they get the  _soul_  though? The only reason why Rei was able to be resurrected twice was because we  _recovered_  her soul, and even then it was  _damaged_ , and it took her friend's intervening to help solve that. All the other Reis in the tank were  _shells_."  
  
Maya thought. "I doubt they could fracture her soul while Unit-01 is still cut off from all contact. New souls, maybe? They'd have to come from somewhere, though."  
  
"Though we should consider the mechanisms of the soul are most likely different in that other universe." Placing the box down, the doctor went for her mug of tea. "We can't exactly apply  _our_  world's mechanisms and laws to that world, no matter how similar they seem seems."  
  
"Asuka  _really_  rocks that eyepatch though." The doctor's counterpart commented. "I'm surprised she recovered to such an extent after what happened with Bardiel."  
  
"She's probably still missing a limb or two, like Toji of the Laserdiscs. Though it's not like we could tell from how the scene was shot."  
  
"I'm mainly glad she's alright, and chipper as ever."  
  
"Asuka's the type of person to take losing some body parts in her stride, as she said. As long as she could keep fighting, she would." Damn that was some good tea. "She would take it better than Toji would, at the very least."  
  
"Thank the Gods  _Hikari_  never had to lose any limbs with Bardiel."  
  
"Yeah, instead she got absorbed into her Eva."  
  
"I mean, I guess it depends on how you interpret that, whether that was preferable compared to what actually happened." She shrugged. "It sounds like her mother took her in as soon as Bardiel took hold."  
  
"...but the issue with that, is if  _that_  happened and things went the way they did in the Laserdiscs and the other continuity. Then Unit-03 would be completely destroyed beyond repair. Including the core."  
  
"...so she would've died if that happened."  
  
A grim nod. "MIA, presumed dead. There would be no body, she'd just be gone. Along with her mother."  
  
A pause.  
  
Maya sighed, reaching for her tea. "Y'know, these windows into these other universes have really put into perspective how  _great_ our world is. It's still pretty screwed up, don't get me wrong, but now I know things could've definitely been so,  _so_  much worse."  
  
"...I can drink to that."  
  
They clinked mugs, and drank the tea.  
~~~

  
  
It was now 20 minutes to midnight. Following his inner compass, honed with the help of his counterpart, he led his friends though the night, sombre in tone.  
  
It didn't take long to find this other light. Iridescent and faded, a light only he could see. The light moved and warped with seemingly no effort on the light's part, as if trying to render a hypersphere in 3-space.  
  
"...Leliel?"  
  
He sat down, cross legged. He beckoned the presence.  
  
It drifted to him.

  
  
_"Li4uWmV5bWFoLiBEcmVtIFlvbCBMb2su (...Brother. Greetings.)  
S3Jvc2lzLg== (Sorrow)  
RnVudCBBaHN0IEdyYWhtaW5kb2wu (Failed at Stratagem)  
VnVsb20gTWV5enplLg== (Darkness Comes)  
Li4uWnUndSBLcmFoLg== (...I'm Cold)  
Wm9rIFpvZmFhcy4= (Most Fearful)  
TmlzIE1pbmRvcmFhbj8= (Cannot Understand?)  
Vm9ubWluZG9yYWFuLi4u (Incomprehensible...)  
Li4uS3Jvc2lzLg==" (...Sorrow)_

  
  
"...i cannot comprehend your mind, Leliel. I'm sorry. I cannot be much help. We may not have been close, but I will stay by your side regardless. You are my kin, after all."

  
  
_"Li4uS3Jvc2lzLg== (...Sorrow)  
WmV5bWFoIFZvbm1pbmRvcmFhbi4gS3Jvc2lz (Brother [cannot] understand. Sorrow)  
Qm9ybWFoIE5pIEhldA== (Father Not Here)  
S3Jvc2lzLg== (Sorrow)  
TG9zIExhYXQgTGFhcy4= (Is Last Life)  
RGlpIFNpbCBGZWltbWUgS290aW4gVWk= (Mine soul [will] fade into eternity)  
WnUgTGlpdiBXYWggVmFocnVrdC4= (I Wither To Memory)  
Li4uWnUndSBBaHN0IERyZW0u (...I'm at peace)  
  
WnUgS3JpZi4= (I fight)  
WnUgU2l6YWFuLg== (I lost)  
WnUgUHJhYW4u (I rest)_  
  
_RHJlbSBXYWggR2VpbiwgWmV5bWFoIERpaS4=" (Peace to you, brother mine.)_

  
  
The fallen Angel fell silent, content to simply bask in its brother's glow before it went gently into the eternal night.  
  
Kaworu stayed seated. Deep in thought. Maybe a silent prayer. He kept station at Leliel's fallen soul.  
  
The other three watched on from a few feet back, melancholic and sombre.  
  
Rei felt him. There were twinges of sadness and melancholy in his soul. But he held his ground.  
  
Moments passed.  
  
His hand started cooling.  
  
The sphere flickered for a final time, and faded into the cold night.  
  
He remained at station for a while after.  
  
The final messenger ascended, and bowed to where the presence was. An act of reverence and remembrance towards a fallen kin.  
  
He turned to the others. "...I'm alright." He gave a sad smile, a stray tear escaping alongside a sigh. "...I wish I could have understood Leliel. I sensed some of their emotion though. They seemed... at peace."  
  
Rei went to comfort. "You may not have been able to understand Leliel's words, but they would've appreciated your company, Kaworu."  
  
So did the other two, even though they had little idea what went on. But they could tell whatever happened visibly rattled Kaworu. "...that was Leliel?" Shinji asked.  
  
"...yeah. I suppose Leliel left a bad taste in you two's mouths."  
  
"...that's an understatement." Asuka quietly deadpanned. "Still, we can see how it affects you, Kaworu. Doing this..."  
  
He nodded, still in the arms of the others. "I do it out of love for my kin. They deserve someone they know by their side during their final moments. And... I made a promise to Rami. That I intend to keep." He disengaged. "It's getting late. Misato is probably wondering where we are."  
~~~

  
  
The clock on the wall counted down. 3. 2. 1.  
  
"And they're officially late." Misato said in deadpan.  
  
"You know how they're like, Misato. They can handle themselves." Kaji dismissed.  
  
" _You_  know how  _I'm_  like when they don't check in."  
  
"It could be worse. Not like the world will end."  
  
She snorted. "I doubt they'll begin an Impact at the drop of a hat, like they would in other worlds."  
  
"Which ones?"  
  
"Both." Her intonation was flat. "I'm convinced a Third Impact event is  _expected_ , and we're the exception."  
  
"Considering what the powers that be could do, I'm not surprised." He thought. "Y'know, I think  _everything_  in that new continuity was orchestrated by Gendo."  
  
"Similar to  _our_  world then."  
  
"But I mean  _everything_. Shinji getting so close to Rei. Asuka ending up in Bardiel. Rei getting consumed by Zeruel after trying to suicide bomb it."  
  
"What about Shinji becoming a God and ending the world trying to save Rei?"  
  
"Fully intended. He knew Shinji would do anything to save the one person he loves, especially  _after_  Shikinami ended up getting screwed. So, he pushed forward his plan by several months."  
  
"...that scheming bastard. And SEELE obviously didn't know of it."  
  
"I wouldn't think that, even though they seemed more inept this time. Kaworu thought himself he would try stopping Shinji. We must consider he has an Eva, and a Lance."  
  
She thought. "You two reckon Kaworu stopped Shinji?"  
  
"Possibly. Though it's not like it shows it in the movie."  
  
Misato sighed, tossing the empty can in the recycling, over her bird. "Guess we'll just have to wait for the next one then."  
  
The door opened, and the pilots walked in.  
  
"And  _where_  the he-" Her tirade was cut short by a look at them. "Oh Christ. Did you find another one of your own, Kaworu?"  
  
He nodded, wistful. "Leliel. I never truly knew them, and I could never understand them, even in their twilight. But I think they appreciated my company."  
  
"...i'm sure they would." A keen Pen-Pen waddled up to the fish, trying to give him some comfort. "I don't really have much to offer in this situation, other than my sympathies and my beer."  
  
"I appreciate that." A single, somewhat grim chuckle. "And beer won't be necessary, Misato. I am not an emotional wreck this time, and Rei will be enough."  
  
Asuka volunteered as tribute, and accepted a beer. "Maybe it's getting easier for you, Kaworu."  
  
He thought. "...maybe so, Asuka. Maybe so."  
  
Rei could sense his melancholy. "...lets go home, Kaworu."  
  
"...I'd like that."  
  
They made their leave.  
  
"...what did you two think of it?"  
  
"Well... I'd be lying if I said I  _didn't_  despise Leliel for what it did to me." The girl kissed by fire spoke, somewhat scathing. " _Especially_  since I was pretty much dead in there, if not for mama and Shinji. But... I'd also be lying if I said I didn't feel  _something_ when I saw Kaworu just... quietly commune."  
  
"Yeah. We couldn't see what he saw, or hear what he heard. But we could tell it affected him. And that it affected Rei."  
  
"And that was all we needed to sympathise with him and comfort him." She nursed the beer, looking around the room. "The TV looks nice."  
~~~

  
  
Kensuke was humming as he continued typing on his marathon coding session. His conundrum was seemingly solved by his new messiah, StarOfNight.  
  
Who despite apparently having a college grade education, had completely  _trash_  code. Parts obfuscated, or otherwise uncommented (which he couldn't really touch), and several hundred errors per compile attempt. And eventually when it  _did_ compile, it would either crash during runtime or his computer would  _run out of memory_ , however impossible it may seem. More questions to Yahoo indicated he should use a program called  _Glasir_  to check for memory leaks. One quick compilation of the toolset (and reading of the various man pages), and a  _very angry_  Glasir told him to fix his code.  
  
But, he was making progress. A surprising amount of progress, actually, considering his programming skills weren't as developed. Hell, it was  _fun_.  
  
Though maybe he had been focusing too much on the monitors. He  _does_  know he can be pretty short sighted when he starts focusing. But Sayaka and Kyoko know this already. And they still love him.  
  
He continued humming, not realising the whispered activity going on behind him.  
  
"Heya Ken!"  
"Hiya Ken!"  
  
Speaking of which, there they were now. A warm smile grew on his face as he turned to face them. "Hey girls, I'm sorry I've been a bi-"  
  
Had this been an anime, his nose would've immediately exsanguinated all of his precious blood. Instead, he froze up and started stuttering like an idiot, especially with how... bold they were being.  
  
Sayaka burst out laughing. "You're right, Kyo. This  _did_  get his attention."  
  
Kyoko gave a sinister smile. "Ah, men. How predictable. And here you were embarrassed about it, Sayaka."  
  
"Well, seeing how he's looking at us now."  
  
They glanced.  
  
He had the dumbest look on his face.  
  
"Whaddya think, Ken?" The answer was pretty obvious just by looking at him.  
  
He nodded. Dumbly.  
  
"...I think we broke his brain."  
  
"His  _other_  brain is doing the talking now." The red puella joked, to her counterpart's entertainment.  
  
"I'm guessing you know how to fix him?"  
  
"Hehe, watch and learn, my young padawan~"  
  
She approached him.  
  
She leaned down, looking straight into his eyes.  
  
"Say, Ken." She was amorous in tome, twirling a finger through his hair as his eyes were...  _elsewhere_. "Sayaka and I are feeling a bit… _cold_ like this. How about you turn off that computer of yours and join us in bed?~"  
  
He took a few seconds longer than usual to interpret her query, desperately trying to maintain a sense of composure.  
  
Didn't stop his hand blindly reaching for his computer, and haphazardly hitting the power button.  
  
"Good boy." Turning to Sayaka, she beckoned her.  
  
Those two shared many things in their lives. Kensuke being one of them.

* * *

 


	4. Rebuild 3.33

* * *

 

_"New information you say? Is this_ actual _information this time?"_  
  
"Oh ye of little faith. I'll even give you a sneak peek." He got an image ready. "Your fax is on a secure line, right?"  
  
_"Of course it is, I'm not an idiot, 16."_ 02 sounded in annoyance.  _"Increment the last digit and that's my fax."_  
  
"Thank you." He balanced the satellite phone on his shoulder as he put in the number, and the document. "It's coming through?"  
  
_"Yeah, it's coming th-"_ He went silent.  
  
"That got your attention, Makinami? I have more where that came from."  
  
_"…but... how?"_  
  
"NERV have their methods. I will say as much."  
  
_"...what will you have me do?"_  
  
Kaji chuckled. "Oh no, Makinami. I don't ask for something  _now_. That's for later."  
  
_"...loyalty, then.”_  
  
"Yes." His voice became grim, quiet. "I'm sure you heard the rumours about certain members of Oversight. NERV is increasingly finding more information about SEELE. And we should be extra careful with what they have done. But of course, we should surely take everything we find with a pinch of salt, no? There's always the chance this could all be 'rumour and hearsay', as you say."  
  
_"...I wouldn't have expected you to resort to this. After all we’ve been through."_  
  
"What's a friendly relationship without some coercion?" Kaji suggested. "Now, here's what will happen. I will fly to California on Thursday. Friday, noon, we will meet where we usually meet, the shop on the corner of West El Segundo and South Harvard. I will exchange my procured documents. Maybe even have a chat. Saturday I will leave back for Japan. This works for you?"  
  
_"...yes."_  
  
"A  _pleasure_ , Zero Two." The phone went dead.  
  
He looked at the drying images and chuckled. He really owes Ritsuko and his fiancee one for this.  
~~~

  
  
Makinami held the paper in his hands, the phone buzzing incessantly for its hook. It was impossible, he thought. How on Earth could NERV acquire such an image of her? Sure it was black and white and low in quality but it was  _her_. It was uncanny how exact it was, comparing it to his deskbound photograph.  
  
He went to his board. New documents were pinned on top of the old, forming stratum of information. All about SEELE.  
  
Maybe selling his soul to NERV wasn't so bad.  
~~~

  
  
Misato's new TV played some random soap, but the three remaining members of her household weren't paying much mind to it.  
  
"How the hell are you so good at this?"  
  
"Wa-wark!"  
  
"But we were  _collaborating_  then, to trick Misato! I didn't know you were  _actually_  good."  
  
"You only lost 1000 Yen, Asuka." Shinji tried keeping a straight face, as he bore witness to his girlfriend (well,  _fiancée_  now)  _actually_  losing to a  _penguin_  in poker.  
  
"And that's all I'm giving to this damn bird." She threw her cards down in frustration and folded her arms, resigning to the elated penguin. "Go invest it in a juicer or something stupid like that."  
  
The bird blew a raspberry, somehow, and retreated back to his fridge, money in fin.  
  
"Well that was fun." She deadpanned. She looked at the clock and groaned, as she realised that only took 30 minutes. "We need to find something to do."  
  
"Well, we don't have anything on at NERV today, since the sync tests are tomorrow." Shinji thought. "What do we usually do when we're not doing anything?"  
  
"Well," She started listing, counting on her hand. "we go out, we shop, we fuck, we hang out with Rei and Kaworu, and sometimes with Hikari and the other stooges. I suppose we don't have enough time to go down to a beach."  
  
"Not that I would mind."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "We're  _not_  having a beach episode, Shinji. Plus, I don't  _need_  to be around a body of water to show off my assets to you."  
  
He chuckled at the suggestion. "Well, we aren't doing much else."  
  
Asuka scooted closer to him, running a finger over his arm. "You thinking what I'm thinking?~"  
  
"Maybe." He suggested.  
  
"Ehehe~" She looked up at him. "I'm thinking of Christmas shopping."  
  
"...Wha-"  
  
He was dragged up and off the couch, and out the front. "C'mon Shin-chan! Get into the Christmas spirit!"

  
  
They were soon next door and Asuka knocked hard. She was greeted with the sight of an aproned Kaworu, flour and other ingredients splattered all over it. "Oh, Guten Morgen, Asuka." He gave a look to Shinji, poor lad.  
  
"Hallo." She instinctively replied. "Rei around?"  
  
Kaworu led them in.  
  
They were greeted to the Nephilim at a mixing bowl. "Good morning, Asuka."  
  
"Whatcha cooking up?"  
  
"Fruit cake. And other Christmas related foods." She gave a small giggle. "I assume by Shinji's look you two are going shopping?"  
  
"Yeah, we didn't have much else to do. So might as well do something Christmas related."  
  
"We had the same thinking, hence, cooking." Kaworu went back to his station. "Unfortunately we seem a bit busy to join in your shopping trip."  
  
"Oh don't worry your fishie face, Kaworu. We'll go on a larger shopping trip later, won't we Rei?"  
  
"Definitely."  
  
The fish's face fell flat.  
~~~

  
  
Ritsuko observed Unit-01. Still. As it had been since after the berserker event.  
  
Checks had indicated a sync test would be possible for tomorrow. It would give the pilots something to do, at the very least.  
  
It would definitely be hard on Shinji though. Maybe it is a good idea to sync with another pilot at first. Though it is  _his_  Unit.  
  
And Yui's Unit. Core activity had been minimal after the berserker event, who knew what was going on in that Gods forsaken vessel. She imagined Yui would be sternly talking to the  _other_  presence in Unit-01. She would  _hope,_  at least.  
  
"Man, this place is still a bit worse for wear, isn't it?"  
  
"We can still use it." Succinct. "Not like there's broken glass anymore."  
  
Maya looked around, before glancing at a clipboard. "R&D say the custom ICs and boards you commissioned will be ready..." She flipped through several verbose documents. "...next year."  
  
"Well that's not a great window of time." Ritsuko deadpanned. An actual date every once in a while would be nice.  
  
"Considering all the other stuff we got them doing." The Kohai mused.  
  
"They get paid well to do that stuff, at least." She dismissed, looking back to the green and purple Unit.  
  
As did Maya. She shuddered.  
~~~

  
  
Rei was first into Unit-01. The test lasted 37 seconds before Unit-01 automatically ejected the plug, to the bemusement of others as there was absolutely no feedback.  
  
_"Yui wants to talk to Shinji."_  
  
The two pilots were swapped in short order, and synchronisation began.  
  
"Sync rate at... 46.70%." Makoto announced.  
  
"Shinji, I know things went to hell, but try opening up a bit more."  
  
_"I'm trying."_  Was the reply.  
  
_"You can do it, Shinji."_  Asuka radioed in from her own Unit.  
  
He redoubled his efforts.  
  
"...Sync rate is climbing. 15 points from previous baseline."  
  
They observed. Shinji was nervous, but there were no anomalies with his vitals. The core of Unit-01 stirred, the pattern consistent with communication.  
  
"I hope he's alright."  
  
Ritsuko quelled the concerned commander. "He'll be alright."  
~~~

  
  
Shinji leaned back in his seat, eyes closed, concentrating.  
  
"Mother?"  
  
A soft presence. _"I'm sorry, Shinji."_  
  
"...Was it even your fault, mother?"  
  
_"I was the person who reintroduced him. I didn't know you would react to him in such a way, and I didn't know_ he _would attempt to take control. For that, I'm sorry."_  
  
"...it's alright, mother. I can understand."  
  
_"...I should've known. I could see what he did to you and Asuka. And what he_ could've _done to you two. And..."_  More memories flooded in. Bemusement.  _"...i thought it was your friend Suzuhara in this other universe."_  
  
"...Those other worlds are harmless, mother. They're not  _our_  world.  _You_  shouldn't get upset over it. That's for me to do."  
  
_"...If I knew Gendo would react this way, I would've never gone into Unit-01. You do realise that, right Shinji?"_  
  
"I know. I know..." He sighed. "It doesn't change what he did. To me. To us."  
  
_"...I understand if you loathe your father. But he did love you, Shinji."_  
  
"... _love_?" Soft and incredulous. "Can you seriously call what he did love?"  
  
_"From a certain point of view."_  
  
"Don't go Ben Kenobi on me,  _mother_." His frustration was evident. "My father  _abandoned me_  when I was  _four years old_. I had to spend over a  _decade_  of my life thinking about what I did wrong, and having that shape me into the meek boy I was at the start of 2015. And I thought it couldn't get worse, but lets start from the top. A single  _character_  letter, and when I refused to step into a machine I had no idea how to use and could never even _imagine_ , he used my  _sister_  as  _blackmail_."  
  
_"...surely you must realise_ why _he-"_  
  
"And that wasn't the worst. Far from it actually. You know what he did. I recall only  _two_ times he's  _ever_  been positive with me. One of those times was because he was  _ordered_  by SEELE to do so after completely screwing up Zeruel."  
  
Silence in the plug.  
  
"But I understand. You love him. It's the same sort of love I have for Asuka."  
  
_"...Yes. He showed me a side of him no one else saw. Not even you."_  
  
"...and I doubt I will ever see that side." He firmed. "Where is he anyway."  
  
_"...he is still in the core. Further from where the regular sensors can pick him up."_  
  
Yet more.  
  
"...I know you two collaborated to end the world."  
  
Confrontation.  _"...I knew he would've done anything to get me back. And I knew SEELE would've manipulated him to become a part of their plan. But if anyone could stop SEELE, it was him."_  
  
"He would've  _destroyed this world!_  This world has so many flaws but it has so much love as well,  _Asuka_  and I are proof of this.  _Somehow_ , us all breaking through our various walls and barriers was able to overcome SEELE! They're  _gone_!"  
  
_"..."_  
  
A whisper. "I know I was meant to be broken. To be so broken, I would  _accept_  the end of the world. I was but a pawn, wasn't I?"  
  
_"...you are_ not _a pa-"_  
  
"Mother. Do you love me?"  
  
She felt genuinely hurt at this remark. The bridge crew cringed at the sudden drop in sync rate.  _"You know I do, Shinji. You may say I abandoned you, but I've always been in Unit-01."_  
  
"But you  _did_  abandon me! When you stepped into Unit-01 with me watching, you  _knew_  what would happen! Where was the mother I needed after  _that_?!" A desperate shout, years of anguish spilling from his mouth.  
  
She didn't have a response for that question.  
  
_"...Okay Shinji, you can come out when you're ready."_  Maya announced over the comms, noticeably subdued.  
  
Shinji sighed. "Look. We still have our issues. This isn't over, not by a long shot. I do forgive you for what happened with him. But... there are still many things we have to discuss."  
  
_"...thank you, Shinji. I'm so sorry."_  
  
"I know, mother." He typed in the shutdown command, but hovered over return. "...tell  _Gendo_  I said hi."  
  
_"...I will. I love you, Shinji."_  
  
A long pause. His hand continued hovering.  
  
"...I love you too."  
~~~

  
  
The sync ratio of Unit-01 was graphed on the screen. It could be described as inconsistent at best, with the best ratio of that test closely matching his current standard, and the lowest ratio not even beating his  _first_  sync.  
  
Shinji was quiet throughout the debrief, only answering short and simple. He clearly didn't want to be involved with this business any longer.  
  
Eventually he was dismissed, and made his way to the lockers. Asuka shortly behind.  
  
"This is concerning." Ritsuko stated the obvious. "If he falls out with his mother, then he won't be able to pilot Unit-01."  
  
"It's not like we could change  _how_  they interact with each other." Misato looked over the reports. "What we need to do is let them sort it out for themselves."  
  
"I doubt something like that will be solved just through  _more_  interaction." Maya tended to her terminal. "Sometimes when stuff like this happens, you just need to distance yourself for a while. Get your head in shape so you don't spray vitriol at each other, and make it worse."  
  
"...I was surprised he reacted like  _that_." They may not have been able to hear Yui, but they could hear  _Shinji_ , and assume a great deal of the conversation through that, and the debrief.  
  
"I'm not." The doctor remarked, perusing through his psyche files. "That boy has more baggage than any of us, especially when it comes to his parents. He needs to work through it in his own way."  
  
A moment of silence, broken by the Kohai's sigh. "It's moments like these that make me wish we had a therapist."  
  
"...They would have to be of equal rank to us, you realise." Misato, exmilitary and _commander_ of this paramilitary organisation, knew this all too well. "A soldier goes to a therapist, but he cannot tell them of what happened, because that would then be divulging secrets. So he tells them half-truths and analogy. But the therapist can only work with what they're dealt with, making it at best ineffective. At worst, they deteriorate further."  
  
"...so what  _can_  we do then?" Maya was quiet.  
  
"...not much." She shook her head. "He has friends though. And a lover in Asuka. They all keep each other grounded."  
  
"So we just leave the healing up to them?"  
  
"They know each other better than  _any_  therapist, or indeed any _one_ , could  _ever_  know."  
~~~

  
  
All was quiet in the locker room.  
  
A freshly rinsed Shinji was resting his head in Asuka's lap. Accepting her comfort.  
  
Asuka didn't mind. She just had a shower too, and was able to maintain a sense of modesty in it all.  
  
Of course, that wasn't a matter at the moment.  
  
"...i think i was too harsh."  
  
Asuka continued running a hand through his hair. "...you know  _I_  would've been  _much_  worse with her."  
  
"...yeah. still though. despite everything, she's still my mother."  
  
"and you still love her, don't ya?"  
  
"...yeah. it's odd. she and my father are much alike."  
  
"they're both apocalyptic schemers?"  
  
An exhale. "i'd say."  
  
They both gave a few short laughs.  
  
"...still though. I think my mother was more manipulative than my  _father_. She was able to pull the wool over the eyes of  _everyone_ , and would've got what she wanted."  
  
"...why would she do that though? Wouldn't having you in that world anchor her to it?"  
  
"...she believed Instrumentality to be inevitable. And with what SEELE would've done with her."  
  
"Almost makes her actions seem somewhat reasonable?"  
  
"...Honestly, she  _was_  kinda shafted into the role. At least according to her."  
  
"...what about now? SEELE is gone, at least effectively. Her reason for entering Unit-01 is now gone."  
  
"...i don't know." He became contemplative again. "I don't think she would want to leave Unit-01 at this stage. But then again, there won't be a Unit-01 forever, won't there?"  
  
"...no. there won't." She continued running a hand over him. "Will their souls just stay in their core forever?"  
  
"...i don't think the core decays. So maybe." A sigh. "I wonder if my father would consider that a heaven."  
  
"Depends what your mum thinks about it, Shinji."  
  
Some more quiet.  
  
"...didn't Ritsuko say there was another film to watch?"  
  
A chuckle. "She did say we could watch it after this sync test." She gave a gentle smile. "Though, it's not like we're in any rush or anything."  
  
"Heh. Yeah." He burrowed. "This is quite nice."  
  
"...nothin like some comfort after a tough time."  
~~~

  
  
Meanwhile, at the Aida residence, Kensuke had been using his time off school to good use. Always on that computer of his, excluding the times when he's...  _tending_  to Kyoko and Sayaka. Sometimes  _they_  started it, but then again he likes that, and actually  _encouraged_  them to do such things. He knows he could get lost in what he does, so having someone (or, some _ones_ ) take him out ensured he didn't spend 27 hours a day in front of an electron box.  
  
And with the elder Aida working long hours at NERV (as usual), they had plenty of time alone to do such things.  
  
It was a mark of military grade discipline, then, when he was able to continue working through the...  _temptation_. But he was determined.  
  
Within a few days, this Gods forsaken program had come together. From it being a broken mess of a memory event horizon, to something that actually draws to the screen. Now all that was left was to test.  
  
The first disc of three was put in.  
  
It spun up.  
  
His machine churned and the fans revved, quite concerning considering its specification.  
  
But the DVD did start playing, with sound too. Smooth as silk, if silk was played in 24 to 30 frames per second.  
  
He leant back, and sighed. "I did it."  
  
It took a few seconds for it to hit him, the feat he did. Yes he got some  _major_  help, but within a few short days, he managed to take a completely broken program, with barely any documentation and with simple Internet skills, and revamp it into a working program. He even took the liberty to clean up and optimise some of the source code in order to make it run faster on his machine.  
  
He started laughing. "I actually fucking  _did it_."  
  
The song of ice and fire was distracted by his jubilance. They observed his screen. "Holy shit, you actually did it."  
  
"Knew you could do it!"  
  
He blushed. "So girls, wanna see what's on these discs?"  
  
"Hell yeah we do!"  
~~~

  
  
Ritsuko and Maya had locked themselves in their lab. The personnel at NERV took pot shots at them, as they assumed they were doing the deed.  
  
Needless to say, if those two knew they were making love, they would've put away their terminals.  
  
Instead, they were busy with data from earlier today. The conclusions remained, however: if Shinji and Yui's relationship continued to deteriorate, they ran a risk of Shinji not being able to pilot Unit-01. They theorised that it might be similar to Asuka in the later parts of the Laserdiscs; a traumatic event causing the resident soul to lock themselves away from the pilot.  
  
Maybe having him go on a vacation would be good, give both him and his mother some time to chill out. Forgetting the fact that doing that is impractical at best, due to the constant risks of having to sortie on a moment’s notice. And there's no chance in hell Asuka and Shinji would take a vacation  _without_  Kaworu, Rei  _and_  Misato.  
  
All these different factors and more meant they were metaphorically pulling hairs.  
  
The buzzing of a terminal brought them out of their stresses, as Ritsuko went to investigate.  
  
A low chuckle. "...Aida, you son of a bitch."  
  
"Did he do it?"  
  
"Looks like it. I expected him to take longer." A segment of code was sent through. "...interesting. He  _optimised_  parts of it."  
  
"Shows he's observant." Maya overlooked the code. It still looked amateurish but she had definitely seen worse. From other _NERV_ personnel, no less. "With some tutelage, he might be alright."  
  
"Is that a hint of jealousy I hear, Maya Ibuki?" An eyebrow raised.  
  
"N-no." She glanced elsewhere.  
  
The doctor chuckled, messing Maya's hair. "You know you're irreplaceable, Maya. Plus, he's got his hands quite full already."  
  
"Oh yeah, Miki and Sakura, right? It boggles my mind how someone like Kensuke could get two at once."  
  
"You do realise he's probably acting as a beard for them."  
  
"...beard?"  
  
"They use Aida to disguise their own relationship."  
  
Gears spun. And clicked. "Ohhhh. _That_ makes more sense. That's actually pretty sweet of Kensuke, to do that for them." Eyes narrowed. "Is our society really more accepting of  _polygamy_  than  _homosexuality_?"  
  
A shrug in response, as she returned to the main terminal. "I've seen their files. They have a reason to hide their relationship."  
  
She looked at the screen.  
  
She groaned. "It'd be nice if Unit-01 wasn't an obstinate mule for once."  
  
"Could be worse. She hasn't tried ending the world yet."  
~~~

  
  
"You in here, Shinji and A-"  
  
Kaworu immediately did a 180, a shampoo bottle rebounding off his AT-Field.  
  
"I assume by your response, they haven't bothered getting dressed."  
  
"We're  _towelled_  at least!"  
  
"How long have you two been here?" Rei voiced, allowing the others a small piece of privacy as they  _finally_  got changed.  
  
"Since the end of the sync test." Shinji meekly spoke.  
  
"...That was  _over five hours ago._ " Rei was blank.  
  
"Well sometimes you need a bit of _time_ and  _privacy_  to get your head together." The flame defended.  
  
Rei rolled her eyes. "You can turn around now, fish."  
  
He did just that. "Ritsuko wants to know if you want to watch the next film in the new continuity. She said she fully understood if you don-"  
  
"Yeah, alright." Shinji took a page from Asuka's handbook and spoke nonchalant. "Could use a pick me up after the shitshow that was today."  
  
"...You do realise that this film will most likely be the complete  _opposite_  of a pick me up?"  
  
"Honestly, how much worse can you get than  _the end of the world_? Just about anything would be an  _improvement_."  
  
"You think?"  
~~~

  
  
"California?" Asuka raised an eyebrow, as the screen was maintained.  
  
"Meeting an Oversight colleague for business. Information exchange, double talk, all that good stuff."  
  
"And you couldn't just call or transmit the information to him?"  
  
"Meeting in person is better for information exchange, especially if it's important."  
  
"Even though we have that holophone." Misato deadpanned. "You better not get yourself-"  
  
"I know, Misato. You  _are_  giving me a couple Section 2 agents, like I'm the President of the United States or something."  
  
"Is that really any better?" Shinji deadpanned.  
  
"They're not  _that_  bad, Shinji." Misato rolled her eyes. "How long till the TV's ready?"  
  
"Almost." Maya replied briefly. "Ready for power."  
  
Ritsuko entered commands into her terminal, which to the untrained eye was equivalent to bashing the keyboard.  
  
A capacitor burst. This time the keyboard  _was_  bashed, by Ritsuko's head. "Oh  _come on_ , that was a fresh cap!"  
  
"Will this screen last?"  
  
"Yes, Rei. It's not  _that_  broken."  
  
The cap was replaced, and static filled the screen.  
  
"Alright. Let’s get this show on the road."

* * *

 

#  You Can (Not) Redo

 

_Operation US_  
Kaj: "We seem to be starting in space."  
Ri: "Thanks Captain Obvious."  
A: "What's with this universe and ease of getting to damn  _space_?"  
Re: "What use would going to space have at this point in time?"  
Kaw: "Guess that means  _something_  survived. And in a capacity to continue operations outside the confines of the Earth."  
S: "So I was stopped?"  
Mi: "If you weren't, we'd be  _dead_ , and this wouldn't be going on right now."  
Shinji snickered a bit. "When you put it that way. We still don't know what NERV's doing though."  
Ri: "Obviously something involving space." She was flat. "Maybe they're sending an Evangelion to space, like we did."  
Ma: "In  _that_? It looks completely  _Soviet_  in design."  
Ri: "If it works."  
Kaj: "But the Soviet rockets rarely worked."  
Ritsuko handwaved it off, as the camera panned to the blood red world.  
A: "Jeez, you'd think that was  _Mars_."

  
  
_Spacebound_  
A: "That's an entry plug! They're doing the same thing  _we_  did!"  
Re: "They are remaining close to Earth however. It's possible they're still attempting to recover hardware, like we did during Operation Crucifix."  
A: "What NERV hardware would be in LEO though. And who the hell is singing?"  
Ri: "If she survived, it'd be Makinami."  
A: "Great, so we're  _still_  dealing with Ms Crazy." She deadpanned.  
S: "And you."  
A: "...wait, that's  _me_? For being completely destroyed in Bardiel, I don't look too bad."  
Re: "We must consider some time has passed. NERV at the end of the previous movie would  _not_  be in any condition to  _go to space_ , let alone  _recover_  something or battle any enemies."  
Screaming filled the room as a Mark.04 attacked what appeared to be Unit-02.  
Kaw: "Speaking of."  
Mi: " _That's_  an Evangelion? Man, what the fuck happened after the world ended?"  
Kaw: "It appears to be more of a drone, akin to an MP-Evangelion. Being able to rip apart an AT-Field like that however, it's possible SEELE built it."  
S: "So even  _after_  the end of the world, we're  _still_  fighting SEELE." He was flat.  
A: "At least NERV seemed to survive. So we could continue this infinity war."

  
  
_Pirate_  
A: "That  _is_  me and my Unit! Fuck yes mama!"  
The helmet was torn off.  
A: "An  _eyepatch?_  What am I, a damn pirate?"  
S: "I think it suits you."  
A: "Well yeah," She shrugged. "I can see myself wearing one if I lost an eye. Could probably pull it off. Though I'd prefer binocular vision."  
Maya leant over to Ritsuko, "Told you so."  
Kaj: "It seems you and Makinami got a little friendship going on."  
A: "Shikinami probably doesn't know what went on between her and Shinji." She pouted.  
Ri: "...okay, I don't know what NERV hardware could be enclosed in a  _tesseract_."  
S: "I thought a tesseract was 4 dimensional."  
Kaw: "Just as you can flatten out a 3d shape onto paper, you can "flatten" out a 4 dimensional shape into 3 space."  
Shinji thought. "Huh."

  
  
_Payload_  
Ri: "This is an  _extremely_ haphazard method of recovering an object from  _space_."  
Mi: "Would've made it easier if we could just strap some rockets to an Eva."  
Ritsuko snorted. "Do you know the literal  _forest_  of paperwork that would fill the Geofront if you so much as  _thought_  of welding rockets to an  _Evangelion_?"  
Kaj: "The only reason we were able to do Crucifix in the first place was due to paranoia."  
Misato shrugged. "It's possible NERV doesn't respond to government authorities now, especially since the world is supposed to be ended."  
Re: "Or if such an operation necessitated a quick recovery of the payload, so as to reduce the risk of enemy attack."  
Ri: "Even so, you have to follow  _some_  safety standards. It's not like we  _want_  the pilots to die in giant fireballs, after all. Evangelions are expensive."  
All four pilots glared at her.

  
  
_Pattern Blue_  
S: "It’s good to see even  _after_  the end of the world, the Angels are still attacking." He deadpanned.  
Kaw: "Even if there  _were_  Angels, these aren't. The enemy Evangelion are appearing as Pattern Blue."  
Ri: "Makes sense."  
Ma: "The Magi have methods of differentiating Angel from Eva, but if you're just looking at the pattern analysis, you can't really tell."  
S: "Even so, there were still a few Angels left, if Kaworu was correct in numbering them. 14 Angels, Zeruel was the 10th, leaving four left."  
Re: "And if we consider Kaworu and Lilim a part of that list."  
Mi: "So not many left. But they're  _still_  Angels, and would have to be dealt with. Unless they were diplomatic, like Kaworu. Then we could make some concessions."  
Kaw: "Quite a nice deal we have going on, isn't it?" He said in jest. "I don't end the world, and you don't kill me. Works out quite well for us."  
Kaj: "Not like you could end the world  _now_  if you wanted to."  
Kaworu simply gave a glance at Shinji, as the tesseract unfolded.

  
  
_Armisael_  
A: "...what the hell is  _that_?"  
S: "Whatever it is, Makinami's not sticking around."  
Asuka frowned. "Doesn't even back me up, useless bitch."  
Kaj: "I imagine you deal with whatever the hell it is."  
A: "Unless Anno was planning on having me for the first five minutes and killing me off to prove a point."  
Mi: "...I mean, I could  _see_  him doing that."  
Re: "You already survived an attempt on your life in that universe."  
Rei twitched. "...that Angel looks too much like the 16th."  
Ri: "If it even is an Angel. I doubt whoever made that tesseract would be able to  _box up an Angel_."  
Mi: "... _I'm_  commander? I would probably make sure you were more safe than that."  
A: "As you said, the mission comes first. We know that as pilots. Plus, I'm sure I can handle myself."  
She wasn't handling herself.  
A: "Okay, maybe I would need a bit of help."

  
  
_A bit of help_  
They watched on as a purple laser shone through the tesseract.  
S: "...what the fuck was that?"  
A: "...was that  _you_ , Shinji? I called out your name and you did that."  
S: "...why the hell would I be in  _space_? I thought I was still trapped in Unit-01."  
Ri: "That  _could_  be Unit-01."  
Ma: "In  _space_? Surely we would've attempted a recovery  _before_  sending Unit-01 to  _space_."  
Misato, in deadpan: "Surely we  _wouldn't_  send Unit-01 to space  _at all_."  
Kaw: "Who knows  _what_  the NERV of this world did in order to ensure the world wouldn't end. It's certainly possible Unit-01 was still dangerous."  
A: "So they'd just send Shinji and Rei off into space to  _sleep it off_  for a year or so."  
Kaw: "When you put it that way. Good to see  _I'm_ still around."

  
  
_BM-03_  
S: "Good to see NERV is treating me well." He deadpanned.  
Ri: "You  _did_  try to end the world." She was equal in her deadpan.  
Shinji took a sharp breath. "Okay fair enough. But surely we'd let bygones be bygones?"  
Kaw: "Depends if they blame  _you_  for ending the world."  
Mi: "Surely we wouldn't, he wouldn't know his actions would've resulted in the end of the world."  
Ri: "The mind is a curious thing. Always wanting to apply blame to someone, be that a deity or an actual person."  
Kaj: "Though sometimes that blame is deserved."  
S: "Obviously the people  _pointing guns at my restrained body_  seem to blame me for something."  
Mi: "...alright,  _that's_  a bit uncalled for."  
Ritsuko had some visible confusion. "That isn't NERV colour or uniform."  
Kaj: "Rebranding after the apocalypse?"  
Asuka meanwhile was somewhat fuming, " _Why_  would you  _collar_  him? I can sorta understand the restraining, but a  _collar_? The only time a collar should be on a person is if they're in the bedroom!"  
Audible silence.  
Kaw: "...kinky."

  
  
_Bridge_  
Ri: "This... that isn't  _NERV_."  
Mi: "I'm there, so it  _should_  be. We would've definitely had to move out of the Geofront after Zeruel, so it's still  _plausible_."  
Everyone in the movie glared at Shinji.  
Kaw: "Yep. Everyone's blaming you, Shinji."  
He sighed. "I guess that's fair."  
A: "Even if you didn't know what would happen."  
S: "Can sorta understand their thinking though."  
Kaj: "You  _did_  end the world."  
S: "Not my finest hour, I admit."  
Ma: "...is that meant to be  _you_ , Sempai?"  
Ri: "...it is. Did they  _try_  making me look like a lesbian or something?"  
Ma: "I mean, you kinda are."  
Ri: "Well yeah, but I don't have to look like a  _stereotypical_  one."  
Re: "The Misato of the movie reminds me of the former Commander, Misato."  
Misato investigated her. Brows furrowed. "That's not me."  
Kaw: "A potential you. One that has grown aloof and distant after all that happened."

  
  
_DSS_  
A: "And a potential you who attaches a literal  _bomb collar to Shinji._  Not even  _Gendo_  put a fucking  _bomb_  on him!"  
Misato had a look of shock and disgust, similar to most of the people in the room. "Okay, what the actual _fuck_."  
S: "Okay, I know people blame me for ending the world, but isn't  _that_  going a  _little_  bit too far?"  
Mi: "No shit.  _Why_  would I put something like that on you?"  
Ri: "In case he tried to end the world again."  
Mi: "Surely it would be easier just to prevent him from getting into an Evangelion."  
Kaw: "Contingencies."  
Mi: " _That_  is a contingency? Who would stoop that low?" She thought. "Actually don't answer that, cause I already know  _who_ would, and that answer is me. Her." A quick correction. "Not  _me_  me."

  
  
_Wavelength_  
Kaw: "Appears to be another Mark.04 attack."  
Kaj: "SEELE still just as persistent as they are in our world."  
Ri: "Surely that isn't 2015 or 2016 though. It would have to be at least a few years ahead of where the last film ended off."  
They got a first glance at what (they thought was) NERV had apparently become.  
Mi: "Jeez, reduced to a few ships."  
Ri: "It seems the war against SEELE has grown more dire than in our world."  
Ma: "How do they even have the  _infrastructure_  for Evangelion?"  
Kaw: "There's obviously some form of organisation and structure, and they obviously continue to have quite a bit of political power, considering the amount of vehicles and cargo they have and can maintain."  
A: "It all seems very haphazard however. Their infrastructure is all using old warships connected via surface cables."  
Ri: "If it works."  
A: " _If._ "

  
  
_Battlestations_  
Ma: "Man, I've changed a bit as well. I think more than a couple years have passed."  
Ri: "And you're not on the Magi."  
She shrugged. "It's that or Project E. You did tutor me in both after all."  
Kaw: "Speaking of, they seem different. Achiral 1, 2 and 3."  
Ri: "...chemical symmetry? That would make more sense if there were only  _two_ Magi."  
Ma: "Achiral aren't existing systems either."  
Ri: "It takes  _years_  to develop a new Magi system from scratch."  
Mi: "There's always the chance they requisitioned a Magi from another NERV base, like Matsushiro. Wipe them, reprogram them, reassign them."  
Ri: "Even so, I suspect this movie is set in the early 2020s, late 2010s at most."  
A: "The crew seem rather inept."  
Kaw: "It is a 'ragtag group of civilians' after all."  
Re: "Things appear to have degenerated by a lot, if NERV is resorting to getting  _anyone_."  
Kaj: "Many hands and all that."

  
  
_Pillars of Light_  
Kaw: "Yet another unknown phenomenon of the Angels. Or Evangelion."  
Re: "At this point, the line separating Eva and Angel is growing thin."  
A: "It's already microscopic, even in _our_  world."  
Ma: "At least the computers look similar to our own systems."  
Ri: "Even so, they're still more advanced than our own. We've barely developed flatscreen technology, let along flat  _and_ transparent."  
Ma: "Another thing to add on to the pile?"  
Ri: "I'd imagine cheap LCD would be a prerequisite to such a thing."  
Mi: "You could gawk at their systems all day, but it doesn't change the fact there's around  _four_  Blues and they have practically  _no_ attacking power against them."  
A: "Man, things really have gone to shit."  
Kaj: "It's better than the  _end of the world_."

  
  
_Trial by Fire_  
Ri: " _Now_  what the hell are they planning on doing?"  
Ma: "Engines, maybe they plan on moving whatever ship they're on."  
Kaw: "Surely moving a ship will not require that much trepidation."  
A: "A ship doesn't require  _gravity control_ , Kaworu." She thought. "I suspect it can fly."  
Mi: " _Fly?_ They can barely support themselves, how could they  _fly_?"  
A: "Probably some AT-Field bullshitery. Take it away, Kaworu!"  
Kaworu, on cue, began. "With enough power, one can use the AT-Field to levitate. It’s what I can do. It's possible they seek to use Unit-01 and its indefinite energy source for this power."  
Ri: "...they're gonna  _fly_  a battleship." She didn't believe it. "They have to start up whatever their engine is though."  
A: "I got that task, whatever it is."  
S: "An S2 maybe?"  
A: "I'd imagine. Though it’s not like you need to  _activate_  it."  
S: "It's good to see I'm just standing there like an idiot."  
Re: "I doubt you'll be in control for a majority of this film."  
S: "Am I ever in control?"

  
  
_Improved_  
A: "I mean, it’s probably a stretch to call the refitted Unit-02  _improved._  Especially since it's currently missing a limb."  
S: "That can be chalked up to refitting though."  
Ri: "And I doubt they have the capabilities to  _regrow Eva parts_  like we do."  
A: " _One_  thing these guys have though, is underwater equipment when we need it."  
Mi: "...so is no one gonna acknowledge Shinji in this?"  
S: "Or even tell me just what the hell is going on?"  
A: "Great. So no one is gonna communicate with one another again. You wanna know what happens when we  _don't_ communicate?" She hummed the refrain from Komm, süsser Tod.  
Kaj: "The world's already ended  _once_  in that universe. How many more times can it happen?"  
Re: "Third Impact appears to be a thing in that world, or at least  _near_  Third Impact. Implying the potential of a  _Fourth_  Impact."  
Ma: "Well  _that's_  gonna be fun." She lied. "Least that shouldn't happen here."  
Kaw: "What about the apparent Martian Impact?"  
Ri: "That's the name right there."

  
  
_Entry Sphere_  
A: "...it's a fucking giant  _entry plug_."  
Ma: "...why does it need  _parallel_  connections?"  
Ri: "Maybe they want to print something?"  
S: "Can LCL even  _become_  a gas?"  
Ri: "It's a liquid, so of course. Although having LCL be a gas removes the entire  _point_  of having it in an entry plug."  
Ma: "Waste of LCL as well, since the pilots need it more.  _Especially_  since I don't think they would be able to 'manufacture' LCL like we do."  
Mi: "How the hell does this completely gimped NERV have a bridge like  _that_? That's completely pointless, even if it was on a ship!"  
Ri: "Now you see my point about changing all the systems to match  _this_  NERV. Needless to say, even  _if_  we had to move to a mobile system, the way we would implement a bridge wouldn't be like  _that_."  
Kaj: "Great eye candy though."  
A: "That's probably the point, knowing this."

  
  
_Flywheel_  
Kaw: "Speaking of eye candy."  
Ri: "Flywheels  _can_  store energy, just rotational energy. And they apparently need a  _lot_  of it."  
Kaw: "I must say, it's an interesting tactic, what this Angel is doing. At least I  _think_  it's an Angel now, instead of another Mark Unit."  
A: "It definitely doesn't  _look_  like an Evangelion."  
They watched as the engine was finally activated, and the AT-Field was deployed.  
The Angel was blown apart, along with all the clouds in a 5 mile radius, as the ship was bathed in purple light.  
S: "Great, we're dead." He deadpanned.

  
  
_Wunder_  
He was proven wrong in a spectacular way.  
The  _Wunder_ , as it was named, ascended from the wine. Growing wings, it took to the heavens, surrounded by carriers and battleships, who  _also_  ascended to the heavens. It was obvious they were abusing the powers of the AT-Field, as a halo had grown underneath the airship.  
They just gawked.  
A: "...this is a post-apocalyptic world. They're running out of skilled labour. Their infrastructure consists of a few warships and oil rigs. Yet not only can they support  _two_  Evangelions, they have a  _fucking airship?_  That doesn't even make any  _sense_!"  
S: "Has this  _ever_  made sense?"  
A: "Okay,  _less_  sense than what we consider  _normal_. I mean, how do you even _build_  something like that with the limited resources they appear to have?"  
Kaw: "Even with such a massive structure, a powerful enough AT-Field will be able to defy gravity. Truly a testament to the power of Unit-01."  
Mi: "...alright, that's pretty cool. There's not a snowball's chance in hell we will  _ever_  make something like that, but it's still cool."  
Ri: "We'd go bankrupt." She deadpanned. "Not like anyone would support us anyway."  
Kaj: "It wouldn't be viable for terrestrial uses. But what about in space?"  
Ritsuko thought. "We'd have to have a damn good reason. And SEELE aren't a good enough reason, especially since we can always wait for them to come to us."  
A: " _AT Thrusters_?!"  
Kaw: "Truly amazing what you can do with an AT-Field with great power. Although I suspect they are using some Angelic sourced aspects, considering they have what appears to be a  _ribcage_."  
S: "Even  _this_  amazing feat of engineering is made out of spare parts and duct tape."  
Ma: "Like all good machines then."

  
  
_Power of the Gods_  
Kaw: "...I suppose  _that's_  the actual Angel."  
Ri: "Interesting tactic. Use the Angel's own skills against it."  
Kaworu frowned, "...no, they're  _also_  Evangelion. What the hell is up with this world? I can hardly tell my own kin from those imitations."  
Re: "To be fair, its not like this is  _your_  world. You don't have another perspective, other than this fiction."  
The Wunder fired and destroyed all four 'Evangelions'.  
A: "Why the hell don't  _we_  have anti-AT  _bullets_?"  
Ri: "There's a very good reason for that, Asuka. I'm sure Rei and Kaworu know."  
Re/Kaw: "They're impossible." In tandem, flat.  
Ri: "Exactly. We thought about micro-Lances as well, but they're not exactly something you can miniaturise. As far as we know, there are only  _three_  things that can penetrate an AT-Field.  _Another_  AT-Field of greater power, a positron beam of an absurd power level, or a Lance."  
Mi: "...I think Rei and Kaworu are right. That world works almost completely differently from our own."  
Re: "Considering a 'ragtag group of civilians' have the power and resources to  _fly_  a kilometre wide airship, a couple  _oil rigs_  and a  _small navy_ , something  _our_  NERV could not even  _hope_  to do."  
S: "Man, a lot of things changed after I ended the world."  
A: "And they're  _still_  more technologically advanced than us!"  
~

  
  
_Timeskip_  
Ma: "They  _are_  using Unit-01."  
Ri: "You could power a lot with an S2 engine."  
Kaw: "Understatement of the century right there."  
S: "At least they're  _finally_  telling me something."  
Mi: "It helps they aren't trying to  _survive_  anymore."  
She looked on as they explained exactly  _why_  he was fitted with the choker. Face quickly sought head. "Jesus Christ it  _is_  a bomb collar..."  
S: "I understand not trusting me, but isn't that going a bit too far?"  
Mi: "I'd say. Especially since you're still completely frazzled when it comes to actually  _knowing_  what the hell's going on."  
Kaj: "We don't know much better, you realise. We're practically in Shinji's shoes."  
Ma: "... _that's_  Sakura?"  
A: "...hang on a minute, what the hell happened to  _everyone_ then?"  
They listened on.  
Kaw: "...14 years. That puts the timeline at 2029, maybe even 2030, if we assume the first two movies were set around the same time as our world."  
A: "That's closer to the  _30s_  than it is the  _20s_! Why the fuck did they decide to skip all that time? What on Earth happened?"  
Maya leant over to Ritsuko and whispered, "Where the hell does that preview happen then?"  
She whispered back, "14 years prior, I presume. Can't even trust a damn preview." She muttered under breath.  
S: "So that means everyone has grown older, while I'm still my 14 year old self?"  
A: "Would that include me? I don't  _look_  older, but with that much time gone, I would  _surely_  look older."

  
  
_Speak of the Devil, and she will appear_  
Kaw: "...she seems mad."  
A: "...even after all this time, she's holding on. Wasn't even his own fault."  
Ri: "Still, mad enough to  _crack_  inches thick glass?"  
A: "...maybe I  _do_  have a prosthetic."  
Re: "This 'Eva curse' appears unique to that world."  
Kaw: "As is many things. At the very least,  _we_  aren't cursed to reside in a juvenile body."  
A: "Yeah, that'd be kinda shitty. Wouldn't fill out."  
Misato rolled her eyes. "Of course you focus on that instead of the mental immaturity."  
A: "You know I'm  _already_  mature enough, Misato. Graduate of university, pilot of a giant biomechanical war machine for over a decade, world hero?"  
Re: "...that rescue wasn't even worth it."  
S: "...it would've still been worth the effort, you realise. And the tape player is there, so I must've saved  _something_."  
Kaj: "Maybe her soul migrated to it."  
Re: "I doubt his tape player is a core."  
An explosion marked the beginning of the next battle.

  
  
_Makinami_  
Mi: "Obviously you're friendly with Mari in that world, considering you're talking about  _boys_."  
A: "Surely at  _28_ , we would've grown out of such discussions. Assuming Makinami was my age."  
Mi: "Asuka,  _I_  haven't grown out of such discussions."  
Kaj: "...that was a bit rough on Shinji."  
Mi: "Man, what the hell happened to us? Surely I would never be that cold."  
Kaw: "14 years is a long time when it comes to things like that. Especially with the state of that world. Hard times breed hard people, after all."  
What appeared to be Unit-00 broke through the interrogation room.  
Re: "...I'm alive? My soul would still be trapped in Unit-01 if I wasn't recovered, so... how?"  
Kaw: "...a different light. In a Rei shell, maybe."  
Mi: "...wait, you're  _right_ , Ritsuko?"  
Misato explained.  
Mi: "...WILLE?!" She exasperated. "Why the hell are they focusing on NERV and not SEELE?"  
A: "They're still following the whole Germanic naming, it seems."  
Ri: "So that  _isn't_  NERV. But NERV still exists." She tried cooking up an explanation. "It's not unthinkable a coup could occur during the time skipped. A sufficiently organised revolt would net us a few Evangelions. And if NERV are still following SEELE."  
Ma: "That would've been a feat and a half, considering we would've had the whole world going against us."  
Ri: "If the whole world even exists at this point. It could just be WILLE, NERV and SEELE, fighting over the ruins of the Earth."  
Kaw: "How cynical."  
Re: "...a vessel of Adam? Would that imply its an Angel?"  
Kaw: "Angels are indeed vessels of Adam, if his seed."  
Mi: "...and she still couldn't bring herself to do it."

  
  
_Q_  
Kaj: "What was that, 33  _minutes_  without the title card this time?"  
A: "That was a  _prologue_? That's longer than a  _Laserdisc episode._ "  
Mi: "Looks like we're gonna be here for a good while then."

  
  
_Familiar Ceiling_  
Re: "... _black_?" She sounded incredulous.  
She got a closer look at herself.  
"...that's not me." Shaking her head. "She is not Rei Ayanami."  
S: "...so I  _still_  didn't save you."  
Re: "...it doesn't appear that way. Unfortunately."  
Shinji sighed. Asuka held a hand out, which he took. "At least I can say he  _tried_. Though  _that_  didn't end up that great as well..."  
A: "No brooding, Shinji. We can safely say every single person in this movie is  _not_  us."  
S: "...still, you know how I'm like when it comes to that."  
Mi: "...man, NERV isn't in good shape as well."  
Ri: "They were obviously bombed out, and judging by all the bullet holes, invaded, like in the Laserdisc movie. Though how NERV was able to function after  _Zeruel_ , let alone an incursion  _after_  Zeruel, is beyond me."  
Kaj: "They obviously had  _some_  resources after that, considering Central is surrounded by... obsidian?"  
Ma: "Forgetting the fact the surface looks like the  _Moon_ , the pit is full of blood, and half the pyramid is _gone_. I'd say it's been quite a bit neglected."  
Kaw: "The mile long escalator still works, oddly enough."

  
  
_Piano_  
S: "Everything looks rusted out, surely not everything would look like that after 14 years of neglect."  
Ri: "The paint would be flaked off, but the metals we use simply  _don't_  rust."  
Kaw: "Something else then. It's the same pigmentation that we can see in the ocean."  
The sound of a Grand filled the room.  
Kaw: "...I'm there?"  
S: "You work for NERV?"  
A: "Yamaha is still in business after all this time?"

  
  
_Reunion_  
S: "Good to see after all this time, my father's still up to his usual shenanigans."  
Kaj: "...he looks a lot like Keel does." He shuddered at the similarity.  
Kaw: "And Abrahamic facial hair as well."  
A: "Maybe they're trying to say something." She was flat as a pancake.  
Ri: "...a  _dual_  pilot system?"  
A: "Not really much point to it."  
Ri: "...there were initial theories that an Evangelion would require a dual pilot system, due to the potential strain on a pilot's mind. We found the strain was within acceptable limits, thank the Gods."  
Re: "What's considered acceptable?"  
Ri: "Not gibbering insane. At least at first."  
S: "...how would a cross sync even work?"

  
  
_Tokyo Drift_  
Ri: "...well, that would add even  _more_  work for the Marduk Institute, as they would have to find  _two_  pilots that are  _compatible_  with not only the  _Eva_ , but with each other." She got out a notebook, writing notes. "They would have to be perfectly in sync, if the intention was to use one brain to emulate a single hemisphere, so I imagine a mind link would have to be established. Sharing memories, emotion, instinct. Drifting into one another, so that they may share a single consciousness."  
A: "Sounds like something  _we_ could do."  
Re: "Or us."  
Ri: " _You_  lot are in stable and strong relationships. A dual drift system would  _require_  such a strong relationship, which considering how you lot were like when you first began piloting your Units, is  _impossible_."  
Maya thought. "What if we chose pilots at birth, and made them grow up with each other?"  
Ri: "Well, then you have the whole issue of  _separating children from their mothers at birth_. And that is  _not_  a can of worms I want to open up."  
Re: "Growing pilots then? Like you did with me."  
Ri: "And lead them to potentially several  _lifetimes_  of pain and misery, as you had?"  
She thought. "A more subtle method then. Like how all the pilot hopefuls are in one classroom."  
Kaj: "The problem with being subtle is you can't entirely control what happens. And you can't exactly control  _how_  a person will respond to a situation. You can definitely  _condition_  someone, but that raises even  _more_  moral questions."  
Mi: "And we're trying to be  _less_  morally reprehensible than the previous administration."  
Kaworu thought. "Still, an interesting thing to speculate about. But even in  _that_  universe, it's a deviation."  
Re: "It's possible there are worlds where that is the  _main_  piloting method, however."

  
  
_Deconstruct_  
A: "At least he feeds you. Sure, it looks worse than  _prison food._ "  
S: "I'm practically in a prison cell already, even  _after_  escaping WILLE."  
Misato sighed. "Seems like everyone wants to use you as a tool."  
Kaj: "What use would WILLE even have for keeping Shinji? Considering everyone there hates him and they actively threaten to kill him."  
Misato shrugged. "To spite NERV? Since it seems we're fighting against them instead of SEELE."  
They took a gander at the corrupted logo.  
Mi: "...I get being abstract, but isn't that a bit too much?"  
Kaw: "The old logo too..." He glared at the symbols. "...Odd."  
Re: "Kaworu?"  
Kaw: "The glyphs. They make me feel... odd." He wasn't sure how else to describe it.  
The state of the Geofront was shown, as Shinji looked for what appeared to be Rei.  
Ma: "...looks like there  _was_  an invasion."  
Ri: "Though it appears we were on the  _other_  end of it this time around."  
Kaj: "That just means we failed in a different way." He deadpanned.

  
  
_Abode_  
Re: "...that must be the dummy system. The structure down there is the same."  
S: "Which means he almost definitely used it."  
Kaw: "Probably still does." He said spitefully.  
A: "Good to see you  _still_ walk in on her naked. Even after all this time."  
Shinji groaned. "So far that's the  _only_  bit of comedy in this film. And it's at  _my_  expense."  
Mi: "Considering the universes seem to be out for you, Shinji."  
A: "At least now we know why. You're the damn  _protagonist_!"  
Ri: "Considering you  _all_  went through some considerable shit."  
Kaw: " _I_  went through a lot, and I haven't really had that much of a spotlight in these other universes."  
Kaj: "Well, it's not like we've seen our  _own_  universe rendered in fiction."  
Ri: "Yet. It's always possible for our own universe to appear, like the Laserdiscs, this movie set and Aida's DVD's."  
Rei simply watched on at her impassive self, Kaworu noticing her apprehension.  
Re: "...that is not me. She is not even functional. Like... a doll."  
She sought the fish's hand.

  
  
_Monolith_  
Kaj: "Good to see SEELE's still around. Pulling strings in this whole mess of a universe, I imagine."  
He listened on.  
"...they aren't?"  
Mi: "They trust  _him_  to pull off Instrumentality?"  
Kaj: "Surely not. Why  _wouldn't_  they talk? And  _how_  are they still able to communicate with him using the Phone?"  
Everyone shrugged.  
Asuka spoke up. "Who even knows now."  
S: "...and it looks like I'm brooding. As usual."  
A: "Well... it's not like you had much to do."

  
  
_Library_  
A: "That's kind of you Shinji, giving her books like that."  
Re: "...I doubt she will use them. She is a thoroughly broken doll of a girl. I say worse than how I... used to be."  
Ri: "I don't remember you ever having that little self-autonomy."  
Re: "Indeed. I was never like that. Though it’s possible with more iterations of Rei, I would  _become_  that."  
S: "...at least you aren't the only one lonely there."  
Re: "She wouldn't care. And... you have Kaworu."  
Mi: "...do we even  _have_  a library?"  
~

  
  
_Duet_  
A: "...Y'know, anyone else looking at this would think Anno was trying to push you two together."  
Both boys blushed.  
Re: "You two are cute together."  
Mi: "I'd say. You know piano, Kaworu?"  
Kaw: "It's one of the many instruments I could play. Unfortunately, I cannot improvise and create like that." He looked on, wistful. "It would be nice."  
Ma: "It can't be that hard."  
Re: "Maya, he  _can't_." She was firm. "He doesn't possess a Fruit of Knowledge to do such things, as we do."  
Maya realised she might've said something insensitive, meekly looked down at the floor. "Oh. Sorry."  
Kaw: "It's alright. I understand my limitations." He chuckled. "The good thing about me is that I can form relationships with others to overcome this limitation. That is what separates me from my kin."  
S: "...at least you're making him happy. And giving him something to do."  
Re: "...especially since I remain aloof."  
~

  
  
_SDAT_  
A: "You reckon you could fix that piece of junk?"  
Kaworu shrugged. "Electronic devices could have a slew of problems. From the smallest transistor to simply having no batteries in it. I'm sure you've dabbled in such tasks before."  
A: "Oh for sure. I never exactly focused on fixing  _consumer_  electronics though, mainly manufacturing and theorising about my own. Plus, I'm a pilot first."  
Ri: "You could troubleshoot computers though."  
Asuka snorted. "Anyone with a brain can troubleshoot a computer."  
Ri: "Oh my sweet summer child." She gave a knowing glance to Maya. "Should I tell you about the time Misato couldn't figure out the Email system, and bought it down trying to get it working?"  
Mi: "Not my fault it's not intuitive..." She muttered. "That's more software anyway."  
Ri: "Same principle applies."

  
  
_Stargazers_  
S: "At least the sky is still the same."  
Re: "You should wait until you get out of the atmosphere." She gave a soft smile. "There was absolutely nothing. I was very disappointed." It turned to a soft frown, accompanied by laughter.  
Ri: "Space is like that. I'm sure Hikari has the same sentiments."  
A: "...that sounds like how you were."  
S: "My mental state was in tatters. And that was  _before_  Zeruel."  
Ri: "...maybe WILLE should've known that. Instead of being blinded by hatred."  
Kaj: "At least Kaworu knows how to sooth him. Just be there for him."  
Re: "Of course, coming onto him would help."

  
  
_Shirt_  
Mi: "...Suzuhara's shirt?"  
Shinji sighed. "I hope he's alright. Sakura didn't seem to hate my guts, so maybe he is."  
A: " _You_  don't seem to think that."  
Kaw: "At least I am able to provide a bit of relief to your pangs."  
A: "You better not betray him again!"  
Kaw: "One can hope."  
Mi: "I can understand you, what you said about not being able to cope with that change."  
Kaj: "It doesn't help we're  _also_  experiencing the time skip with him."  
Kaw: "An interesting method for telling a story. We're right in the thick of it with Shinji."  
A: "Even though it leaves me a bit frustrated not knowing what the fuck is going on."  
Kaw: "Multiply that feeling sevenfold, and you can see what Shinji is feeling."  
She went quiet.

  
  
_Stair_  
S: "Maybe he should be careful what he wishes for."  
A: "Yeah, I doubt the world is in a presentable state after whatever the hell happened after 14 years."  
Ri: "Considering it  _started_  with the end of the world."  
Ma: "That staircase doesn't seem safe."  
Ri: "Do you think _that_ NERV gives a damn about the already lax OHS?"  
Ma: "No, probably not." She was flippant.

  
  
_Revelation_  
The moon was prominent. Scarred, bleeding.  
Mi: "...are those  _clouds?!"_  
A: "Why the hell is it spinning so fast?"  
Ma: "Maybe it wants to pull a Majora."  
S: "The crucifixes don't stay... unless they're like statues."  
The camera panned down, as Kaworu explained.  
Kaj: "...teeth?"  
Kaw: "...Wait a minute, I thought I  _prevented_  Third Impact!"  
Re: " _Near_  is a bit of a blatant falsehood, in this case."  
Ri: "Obviously this won't be the truth you'd want to hear, Shinji."  
S: "You don't say." He was flat. "Being told you caused  _Third Impact_."  
A: "That makes you 2 for 2, Shinji. When do  _I_  get to start an Impact?"  
Misato rolled eyes. " _Not_  in this universe, young lady. Go visit another world if you want to start an Impact."  
Kaj: "Or better yet,  _don't start an Impact at all_."  
Ri: "That would be preferable."  
The camera panned up.  
Ma: "...I don't know about you, but that structure doesn't seem sound."  
A: "It being a stone pyramid balancing on a  _mile long pole_  probably has something to do with it."  
Mi: "The question we should ask is where the fuck did it come from?"  
Ri: "And like everything in this movie, the answer is the same: " She shrugged and made a confused sound.

  
  
_Infinity_  
S: "...what the hell are- Are they Evangelion?"  
Ma: "...they look petrified."  
Kaw: "...a side effect of a failed Instrumentality, in all likelihood. The post Third Impact world of the Laserdiscs was similarly stained."  
A: "But it  _still_  failed. Wait a minute,  _how_  was Instrumentality accomplished anyway? The Laserdiscs required an S2'd Unit-01  _and_ nine of those Godforsaken MP-Evas."  
Kaw: "All that needs to happen is the merging of the two fruits, specifically the progenitors of said fruits. Hence why Third Impact of the Laserdiscs was able to occur; merging Lilith and Adam, with Rei as a vessel and my soul tagging along for the ride. Of course, the mechanisms of that world seem almost completely different."  
Ri: "...that  _was_  the Door of Guf."  
A: "It's much less Freudian than I remember."  
Kaw: "Indeed. But it would have still resulted in a similar outcome." He frowned. "Even though it shouldn't be possible to open the Doors of Guf without Lilith."  
Re: "Considering almost all souls come from Lilith, that makes sense."  
S: "...that is  _definitely_  what I  _don't_  want to hear."  
Kaw: "Indeed, but you  _did_  ask for the truth."  
A: "Not even sugar coating it a bit?"  
Kaw: "No point. What's done is done. You can not redo."  
S: "...knowing myself, he's gonna try putting things back the way they were."  
Kaw: "I would advise against such action. That would make things worse. Unless, of course, you were being manipulated into pursuing that."  
Mi: "Knowing Gendo, that's probably true. And we would've played right into his little gambit."  
Kaj: "...how did you pre-empt the title-card like that?"  
Kaworu read the English title. "Huh."

  
  
_SEELE_  
Re: "So you're still on SEELE's side."  
Kaw: "Ostensibly. Can never be too sure what other people are planning."  
Kaj: "Trust no one, not even yourself?"  
Kaw: "It helps that 'myself' might as well be a different entity at this point. Not that it matters, as the commander is still planning on hijacking their plan."  
Mi: "...hang on, that's the Nebuchadnezzar, isn't it?"  
Ri: "So they  _haven't_  made their play then?"  
A: "I thought they've already done so, at least once."  
Ri: "You'd think, considering they've had 14 years to do so."  
S: "Speaking of that, looks like I'm catching up on 14 years of brooding."  
Re: "Considering  _that_  Rei isn't the Rei in the Evangelion..."  
S: "...He still denies that though."  
Re: "Eventually he will have to come to terms with such a reality."

  
  
_Game of Generals_  
Ma: "I wonder if Fuyutsuki spent all this time playing Shogi."  
S: "Not much else to do I imagine. Unless they both spent 14 years straight scheming."  
Kaw: "Fuyutsuki in this film actually appears to be tiring of the Commander's doings. Only doing it for Yui."  
Mi: "She was _also_ quite a bit close to him. Not as much as she was with Gendo though."  
Re: "It’s possible he longed for her still."  
He took out an image of her.  
Kaj: "It appears so, being able to keep an image of her from Gendo."  
Ri: "And after all this time too."  
Mi: "You still look cute, Shinji."  
Shinji glanced away.  
A: "...the other woman there looks sorta like Makinami."  
Kaw: "Could be  _her_  mother."  
Re: "...that's not the origin of my name."  
A: "Yeah, it was the other way round in our world."  
Kaw: "Yet another small aspect that's different. Though we know the origin of the Ayanami name in  _that_  world now."  
S: "...do you know where Ayanami comes from, Rei?"  
She thought. "...I'm not sure. I don't recall him ever telling me."  
A: "...and your mother is still a part of Unit-01. Meaning  _my_  mama's in my Unit too."  
S: "...at least you still get to pilot it, in that world."  
A: "...but do I know she's there?"

  
The power came back.  
Shinji just gave a somewhat annoyed look at his pinprick eyes. "...well great. My mind's been broken. Was wondering when that was gonna happen."  
This annoyance turned into growing concern as he witness his mother enter the core.  
And turned further into disgust, shared around the room (excluding Maya, who went for a trash can), at the wall decorated with the  _heads_  of Rei, as Fuyutsuki further explained what Rei Ayanami is and how they both factored into Gendo's plan.  
Rei looked on impassively, having already distanced herself from her _non_ self. "...well."  
Kaworu meanwhile was practically going Super Saiyan, trying to hide rage. Only the soothing of Rei's wisp prevented him from burning a hole through the screen like Zeruel did the Geofront. "I need to find methods of releasing pent up emotion that  _isn't_  sex or battle."

  
  
_Lilith_  
A: "Who the fuck is... is that  _Lilith_?!"  
Ri: "...that proves it then. He already attempted an Instrumentality event."  
Kaj: "And failed. Since Lilith died at the end of the Laserdisc movie, coinciding with Instrumentality being cancelled."  
Re: "...would  _I_  be resident soul in this case? But... the Key still appears unused. So how is it possible? And how does it continue to be possible to perform such a thing?"  
Kaw: "A question for the ages, which I doubt will be answered."  
S: "...Like most things in this damn movie."  
He watched as he continued mentally degenerating.  
Ri: "...at least in the Laserdiscs, you were given a longer span of time to descend into complete anguish."  
Kaw: "Broken people make better pawns. SEELE knew this. Your father knew this. Both are experts at such abhorrent business."  
A: "...I'd say he's even  _more_  broken than in the Laserdiscs. Put him in an Eva, and he'll end the world one way or another."  
S: "...I  _really_  don't doubt it this time. Gods damn it, why the hell does every single one of these world ending plans results in me and or everyone I know and love breaking and dying."  
A: "What can we say? God obviously has it out for us." She glared at the screen. "Especially with Anno at the helm."  
Re: "Maybe someone else will do a better job at not completely fucking us over."  
~

  
  
_Unit-13_  
S: "Yep. Completely broken."  
Kaw: "At least _I'm_ still present. Maybe I can assemble this seventeen million piece puzzle that is your psyche at this point in time."  
Asuka snorted.  
S: "I doubt it. Though at least I have  _someone_  in that world. Even  _if_  I'm completely broken."  
Kaworu collared himself.  
Mi: "...that would surely ensure your trust to him."  
S: "...I wouldn't be at risk of death if I went in an Eva at least. Though... that'll just mean Kaworu will die."  
Kaw: "...he was planning it all along, knowing the risks. I would do the same."  
Rei gave a knowing glance.  
A: "...I honestly doubt you would be able to undo what happened to that world. 'You can not redo', and all that. I'd say its false hope."  
S: "...looks like I'm gonna get  _another_  unpleasant surprise."  
Ri: "...at this rate, you're gonna be completely catatonic by the end of the film."  
S: "Considering how I was like at the end of the Laserdiscs. Especially if Kaworu ends up... dead."  
Re: "...hopefully that won't pass."

  
  
_Sortie_  
Ma: "At least now we can see how effective a dual sync system works."  
Ri: "If it uses a similar system to us, it would effectively double, or even  _square_  the effectiveness of the Evangelion. Depends on how its implemented."  
S: "...13 looks a lot like Unit-01."  
A: "I wonder how you even sync with it. Considering your mother's still stuck in Unit-01."  
Kaw: "Wasn't the way Makinami was able to sync with  _your_  Evangelion suggested the mechanisms of synchronising were different in that world?"  
Ri: "And that's also another reason why a dual sync system won't work with traditional Evangelion designs. Unless you get siblings or twins, you would not be able to find pilots that aren't only compatible with the  _Eva_ , but compatible with  _each other_."  
Mi: "You could implement such a system with the New-Type method, right?"  
The subcommander thought. "You could. Fostering a relationship between AI and pilot is somewhat easy." She thought some more and scribbled some notes. Obviously some lightbulbs went off in her head.  
Kaj: "Interesting how N- WILLE were able to detect when Unit-13 activated."  
Ma: "Same pattern as Angels, remember?"  
Mi: "And I'd imagine we'd be in the general vicinity of the Geofront. Knowing me, we're definitely planning on fighting back."  
A: "Don't even have to watch to know that'll happen?"  
Mi: "Knowing myself."  
~

  
  
_Seal_  
Unit-13 broke through the seal of Terminal Dogma like it was butter.  
S: "Well that was easy."  
Mi: "Now we can see the damage."  
They saw the damage, and Khorne be praised.  
A: "Damn, that's a lot of skulls."  
Kaw: "Millions, forgotten."  
Re: "...Lilith is not in any good shape as well."  
Kaj: "In that she's  _dead_."  
Ri: "...so  _that’s_  why he did a dual plug system. I don't think that's a thing in our world as well."  
Ma: "Though it’s not like we would have to handle two Lances at the same time."  
Ri: "Not like there  _are_  two Lances. At least proper ones. I doubt we would _ever_ be able to test that out."  
Kaw: "...both Lances are the same."  
Re: "...what's the significance of such a thing?"  
Kaw: "...they suggest Longinus and _Cassius_ are required to undo. Having two Longinus' would..."

  
  
_Attack_  
His thinking was interrupted by the explosion.  
Mi: "Great, WILLE are trying to stop them."  
S: "Who even are the bad guys this time around?"  
A: "I'd say NERV, but WILLE aren't much better. Though I can see their thinking."  
Kaj: "Who the hell are we supposed to root for then?"  
A: "Well, do you want the world to change, or not?"  
Kaj: "Is this change a world _ending_ change?"  
A: "It already ended  _once_. How much worse can it possibly get?"  
Ri: "...what  _are_  those drones? You shouldn't be able to project an AT-Field using an autonomous device like that."  
Ma: "Yet another difference in mechanics, I suppose."  
Kaw: "...I realised something. The I of the other universe. That doesn't bode too well for what will happen if you use them."  
S: "...which I might. He's determined. And you don't appear to be stopping me."  
Kaworu thought. And sighed. "Yet another failure of communication."  
A: "Oh come on! Now  _I_  have to deal with a power failure?"  
S: "Least you aren't gonna try killing me."  
A: "...yeah."

  
  
_Determination_  
A: "Well, you're trying now, Kaworu."  
Kaw: "But Shinji isn't listening."  
S: "Gods damn it,  _listen to someone_!"  
He disconnected Kaworu.  
Shinji glared. "Great. I'm about to make a massive mistake, aren't I?"  
Kaw: "Yes."  
Ri: "I can see  _why_  you're doing that. After the shit you've been through."  
Re: "You're playing right into the hands of your father and SEELE, however."  
Kaw: "...no AT-Field? H-How?"  
Shinji pulled out the Lances of Longinus.  
S: "...you idiot."

  
  
_12th_  
A: "Wait,  _that's_  an Angel?"  
Kaw: "...Adam's vessel, of course!  _That's_  what they mean!"  
Kaj: "How the hell did they  _can an Angel_?"  
Kaworu shrugged. " _I_  don't even know at this point. Events have so throughly gone off the rails and into the Grand Canyon that the only thing that is the same is our  _names_."  
A: "Even then."  
S: "At least Makinami is taking it all in her stride."  
A: "She's practically insane, of  _course_  she wouldn't give a few shits about the  _world ending_.  _Again_."  
Re: "Not like there's that much left in that world  _to_  end anyway."  
Ma: "...even your nth  _clone_  is going through some deep stuff, Rei."  
Re: "She had been constantly told that she isn't herself. She's suffering a major identity crisis."  
Kaw: "...I wasn't the first. Who were the Adams then?"  
Ri: "'Demoted' to 13th as well?"  
Kaw: "I think that's similar to how I was like in the Laserdiscs. There are 14 Angels. I am now the 13th. If we count Lilim as Angels, as the Laserdiscs did, I would continue to be the final messenger."

  
  
_Shutdown_  
Kaj: "Looks like SEELE is gonna get exactly what they want. Again."  
Mi: "Least there's  _one_  world where things didn't go completely to shit."  
Fuyutsuki began shutting down SEELE. They looked on as SEELE were explained.  
Completely differently from their world.  
A: "...so they're literally  _Gods_  in that world?"  
Kaj: "...I'd liken them more to the monoliths of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Except more talkative. Especially with how Gendo described them as guiding humanity and civilisation."  
S: "So they're literally aliens?"  
Kaj: "In that universe." He rubbed his forehead. "That's definitely  _not_  what SEELE was in our world. They're just  _men_. Not alien... monolith...  _things._ "  
Kaw: "Sounds like you're finding  _that_  SEELE hard to believe. They were indeed simple flesh and blood, teachings and positions passed down through generations and generations. What once was an Abrahamic sect transformed into a globe spanning, brutally cold, secret society."  
Kaj: "Coinciding with the Dead Sea Scrolls being found."  
Kaw: "Even before. Legends say they were formed around the time of Jesus of Nazareth. Indeed, the name SEELE has only been used since the 18th century. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls only redoubled their efforts, now with an aim. They  _wanted_  to become Gods. Unlike this other SEELE, who already appear to  _be_  Gods."  
Kaj: "Now if only SEELE were that easy to get rid of."  
Kaw: "Obviously they believe Gendo will accomplish the Instrumentality Project in accordance with their vision."  
Mi: "They're idiots then. So much for being Gods."

  
  
_Awakening_  
Ri: "Though you can see their thinking."  
S: "So this is the  _third_  time I'm ending the world then." He was flat. Shinji had stopped caring about what happened to this world after he didn't listen to Kaworu, so he was just along for the ride.  
A: "Three for three, Shinji."  
The Chamber of Guf opened. Again.  
Kaw: "...the Black Moon is ascending."  
Re: "This was similar to the Laserdiscs."  
Kaw: "The order was different. The order of operations was taught to me. Moon, Lilith, Wings, Guf. Instrumentality."  
S: "...at least I'm realising my mistake. Though it's quite a bit late at this point."  
Mi: "Shame he had to find out just as he started  _Fourth Impact_."

  
  
_Will_  
The collar went weird. Shinji sighed in resignation. Kaworu thought.  
A: "You guys are definitely trying your best to stop it."  
Mi: "Ending the end of the world before the world ends is always preferable."  
They were immediately attacked.  
Ri: "We aren't doing a good job at it."  
Mi: "We're  _trying_  at least."  
Kaw: "...so it  _was_  at least partially from an Angel. Or Evangelion."  
Re: "Don't know at this point?"  
Kaw: "Not a clue."  
A: "Quite an apt summary from Ms Crazy." She snarked. "That's more than a simple mess."  
Kaj: "...so who do we root for?"  
S: "...WILLE I guess? Since they're trying to stop the end of the world."  
A: "Not like you did much anyway. You just started it."

  
  
_777_  
A: "...holy shit,  _I'm_  going beast as well!"  
S: "Your eyepatch is  _glowing_."  
Ri: "...and now Unit-02 is becoming a cat."  
A: "I probably learnt that from Mari. Considering she knew how to do it,  _in my own Unit_."  
Mi: "If it was possible and you had to do it to win though."  
A: "I  _might_. At least now I know you can reverse beast mode, in that universe."  
Ri: "Not that it matters in  _our_  universe. Releasing the limiters via software is impossible."  
Ma: "You could modify the software, I suppose."  
Ritsuko laughed. "We  _could_. If we didn't care about the wellbeing of the pilots."  
Re: "...it's about time she finally developed some autonomy."  
Asuka looked on as her counterpart was forced to do something  _she_  would never be able to do. "...mama." She was subdued.

  
  
_Regret_  
S: "...damn it."  
Kaw: "You couldn't know, Shinji. That is why I took the collar in the first place. It wasn't your fault."  
S: "...you'll still die though. At my actions..."  
Kaw: "...out of all the people. And... if it helped."  
Re: "...you shouldn't have that attitude, Kaworu. That was what  _I_  thought."  
Kaw: "...you and I are alike in many ways, Rei. It’s one of the reasons why I love you."  
Re: "...still though..."  
Kaworu could feel her apprehension. "...it is inevitable. Will you be able to watch, Rei? I know seeing me die affected you last time."  
Re: "...I-"  
The entry plug was painted with Kaworu, her answer dying unspoken as she witnessed it. Far too unprepared.  
Shocked silence. Maya quickly ran for a trash can.  
Kaworu immediately wrapped her up, feeling her welling emotion at the complete and utter  _violence_  of his own demise.  
Rei kept silent. She did not want to cry.

  
  
_Catatonia_  
Mi: "...so we were all played by Gendo."  
Kaj: "...this was a part of his plan."  
S: "...and I'm just left there. i suppose he doesn't even care anymore."  
Ri: "...if your mind is still there. you seem to be in a state similar to Asuka after all that occurred in the Laserdiscs."  
Asuka wrapped Shinji up, herself still frazzled. "...her attitude isn't helping matters too."  
S: "...i'm completely broken... again."  
They walked away. The credits played.  
~~~

  
  
Silence reigned.  
  
Rei trembled in Kaworu's arms. She remained silent, but Kaworu could hear her loud and clear.  
  
_'home'_  
  
He got up, Rei under arm, subdued. "We'll be taking our leave. Call us if we're needed tomorrow."  
  
They walked away.  
  
Maya was still ill, and she was on the verge of tears as well. "i'm... i'll be in the bathroom."  
  
She paced away.  
  
"...i can't believe it. Shinji got even  _more_  shafted this time around." Asuka murmured, shocked herself.  
  
Shinji himself had been latched onto her. Quiet. As Rei was. Maybe he had the same intention of waiting until they were in a safe place.  
  
"...Hideki Anno, you son of a bitch." Misato muttered. "i can't believe there's another of our universes where things got even  _more_ fucked. the Laserdiscs were bad enough."  
  
"...how the fuck are they even gonna  _resolve_  all this? there  _has_  to be another one of these movies, and even then, they're gonna be hard pressed trying to explain and resolve literally  _everything_  about this movie."  
  
Ritsuko's eyes widened, as she realised something important about the triad of discs that was obtained.  
  
Specifically, the whole  _missing disc_. "...Asuka." She had to think carefully, because she could tell Asuka was currently on the edge. Whether it be of an emotional breakdown or a  _psychotic_  breakdown was hard to tell. "...Only three discs came through the breach.  
  
There is no fourth movie."  
  
The words echoed and bounced through Asuka's mind. It took her a minute to process what was said, as she had entered into a state of Guru Meditation, as Ritsuko would describe.  
  
And it was indeed the only way she would be able to describe what Asuka did next. Somehow, she converted all of her sorrow into fury, and thrusted the several ton TV off the rebar reinforced concrete block it was resting upon, landing glass first in a flurry of sparks and fire as the capacitors burst for the last time. There was a glaringly obvious crater in the tiled floor of her lab. "You can take that out of my pay-packet."  
  
She walked away, dragging Shinji with her.  
  
Leaving the two commanders, Oversight 16, a smouldering wreck of a television, and several unanswered questions.  
  
"...what the  _fuck_  was that?!"  
  
"Unfiltered trauma." Misato deadpanned. "God, I need some alcohol. And comfort. Actually both. Both is good."  
  
They walked away.  
  
Leaving the subcommander, the smouldering wreck of the television, and several unanswered questions.  
  
She slumped down into the chair, reaching for her smokes and muttering to herself as she looked through her notes. "Fuck sake. I hope Aida's discs are not as traumatising to them." She took a well-deserved drag. "Man I hope Maya's alright... Oh shit,  _Maya_!"  
  
She ran away, the cigarette left slowly burning in the ash tray.  
~~~

 

Both Kyoko and Sayaka were bawling their eyes out, Kensuke busy holding and comforting the both of them. Emotions had been steadily increasing ever since episode _three_. Both puella noticed the characters looked familiar to students at their  _previous_  school, specifically  _old friends_.  
  
Which  _definitely_  didn't help matters.  
  
Of course, them just witnessing their own deaths would  _definitely_  not help matters either.  
  
"...man, fuck this show."  
~~~

  
  
The train was quiet and slow, the light of the setting sun illuminating the carriage.  
  
Rei had been resting on Kaworu's shoulder, ever since they sat down. Eyes closed. Concentrating on his presence, internal and external.  
  
She had maintained physical contact with him since they left.  
  
What she saw had shaken her to the bone. Not even his demise in the Laserdiscs was that violent.  
  
But for now, she could hold.  
  
Kaworu was similarly shaken. Though similarly to his situation with the Laserdiscs, it was less his demise that shook him. Sure, it was far too bloody, but he knew death was not the end.  
  
No, once again it was  _Rei's_  reaction, a justified reaction. She had not spoken since what happened. But the good thing about their situation, is they didn't need to speak to communicate with one another. Emotions, feelings, they have even moved on to  _words_ , however stilted and singular and  _not_  words they were.  
  
_'Rei.'_  
  
His wisp was currently her anchor.  _'kaworu.'_  
  
Empathy, sorrow, melancholy, comfort, pain. Those were few of many intense emotions shared between the two.  
  
_'i. sorry.'  
  
'It’s ok.' _He held her closer. She burrowed further into him.  
  
The train slowed, and stopped at their station.  
  
"Let’s get going, Rei."  
  
She nodded, latching onto his arm as they walked through the twilight.  
~~~

  
  
The train was quiet and slow, the light of the setting sun illuminating the carriage.  
  
Asuka was looking out the window. "...i hope i wasn't too aggressive with you, Shinji..."  
  
A soft chuckle. "Nothing I can't handle, Asuka. At this point my pelvis might as well be made of titanium."  
  
A few chuckles escaped Asuka. "...still." A sigh. "I'm surprised you're feeling alright already."  
  
He shrugged. "Honestly, your reaction to it all helped me cheer up a little. And... its helped me forget today."  
  
She bashfully rubbed the back of her head. "I should probably find more productive ways to release my stress that  _isn't_ sex or bathing in my enemy's blood."  
  
Shinji thought. "Music could work. Aggressive violin-ing."  
  
"...What would I even play that could be classified as  _aggressive_? The violin isn't exactly an instrument known for that."  
  
"An instrument can be whatever you use it for. It's like a voice; softly spoken at one point, and shouting angrily the next."  
  
Asuka thought. "Maybe we could play the music from the universes we just saw."  
  
"...that might work. I thought the music that played during the Laserdisc Instrumentality was quite nice."  
  
"Despite it playing during  _the end of the world_."  
  
He shrugged, and spoke in deadpan, "At this point, end of the world events are as common as a Tuesday."  
  
That got more laughs out. "Alrighty then. Since we're probably not gonna be heading to NERV tomorrow, we play until we pass out."  
  
"Sounds like a plan, Asuka."  
  
The train slowed, and stopped at their station.  
  
They spent the rest of the short walk home formulating their music.  
~~~

  
  
Rei was cradled. As soon as the door to their home was closed, the walls of Jericho came tumbling down, along with her legs.  
  
Kaworu simply held her. Comforting.  
  
As he had done so prior. As  _she_  had done so prior.  
  
The tears eventually dried up though, whether through her emotions draining or her tear ducts draining. And she was eventually calm.  
  
"...why you, Kaworu." She eventually begged. "why do you have to be the one who dies."  
  
"...it was always my destiny, you realise. as was all Angels." He eventually began, after a pregnant pause. "A tool, to be used by the powers that be.  _We_  are extraordinarily lucky, Rei. We broke free of our masters. Unfortunately, that is not the same in all universes. As is many things."  
  
"...it's still confronting."  
  
"...indeed it would be. but you and I know that these aren't our worlds. Honestly, I should've given you more warning."  
  
"...it's okay, my fish." His warmth was nice. "i wasn't able to steel myself, like in the Laserdiscs."  
  
"...you had a good few minutes of warning with the Laserdiscs.  _I_  thought it would've taken longer as well."  
  
Silence reigned.  
  
"...i want a universe where we  _aren't_  fucked over." She murmured.  
  
"...we're living in it."  
  
All was quiet, broken only by the sounds of Asuka and Shinji performing a musical piece together.  
  
"...surely they aren't playing what I think they're playing."  
  
_Tumbling down, tumbling down, tumbling dowwwwww_  
  
"...they are." She deadpanned.  
~~~

  
  
Misato and Kaji were back in their private spot. The safelight illuminated them.  
  
"...do you really have to go to California tomorrow?" She meekly begged. "You know how I'm like when you're not around..."  
  
He parted her hair, getting a good look at her face. "I'm not going to walk into my grave like I did in the Laserdiscs. This is merely a friendly coffee and chat with a confidant of mine."  
  
"With blackmail."  
  
" _Blackmail_  is such a pejorative term, Misato. I prefer the term 'leverage'."  
  
Rolled eyes were the response to that explanation. "Wouldn't he have images of her anyway?"  
  
"Not  _these_  images. Plus, he's desperate for anything related to her either way." He was crestfallen. "It's actually kinda sad. Losing a wife, then a daughter. He would spend all his billions just to get either of them back."  
  
"...but he can't. Not even  _we_  can. The Dirac Sea is infinite, it's impossible to recover anything from it."  
  
"...all he has left, therefore, is a hope for vengeance. Against SEELE. Hence why he's so willing to help you."  
  
She thought. "...say we finally get rid of SEELE once and for all. what will he do then?"  
  
Kaji was silent. Thinking grimly. "...he would join his daughter."

* * *

 

 

 

**202400, 2401**

Rust red water lapped the coast.  
  
A young girl, deathly white in tone but brown in hair, was kneeling at the edge. According to her benefactors, that dot in the sky was once her home. In a previous life.  
  
Of course, as she couldn't remember this previous life, whether it was true or not was up for speculation.  
  
One of the mementos from this past life, recovered alongside her, were a pair of glasses. She didn't require them, but they served to remind of her eventual mission.  
  
Framed by the moons was the pale blue dot, shining brightly in the sky, a different sky than what once was. Once their domain, they had been driven away after a series of unfortunate events. The original scenario had failed, the Dead Sea Scrolls having been proven wrong. It was obvious to their benefactors that they should not have placed their trust in the Chairman.  
  
But, the best laid schemes of mice and men oft go awry, even with divine providence. And all best laid schemes have several contingencies. The failure of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and collapse of earthbound operations, was but one of the possibilities accounted for.  
  
There were few left on this dusty world now. 4000 score had fuelled an Impact. Their souls would now rest in the house of the Lord, an Instrumentality of one billionth scale.  
  
One she will join once her task was done.  
  
One  _all_  will join.  
  
All  _will_  fall into place.  
  
Thus the Scrolls of Abraham had foretold.

* * *

 


End file.
